SANA'A// Army-backed tribes and Houthi rebels resumed fighting yesterday afternoon in north Yemen less than 24 hours after agreeing to a ceasefire, according to a tribal source. The source from the Hashid tribe said that the renewal of the confrontations came after the Houthi fighters attacked a military vehicle, killing four soldiers. "Following the attack, we have seen fire everywhere in the region and some people from both sides were killed but we do not have exact figure," the source said.
The truce, which was reached late on Saturday and brokered by tribal mediators, collapsed following the refusal of Sheikh Sagheer bin Aziz, the leader of the government-backed al Aziz tribe and an MP, to leave the al Zalaa mountainous area where the al Aziz tribe and Houthi militants have been fighting. "The mediation committee members went to implement what the two sides agreed, which [was to have Mr bin Aziz] leave al Zalaa, but bin Aziz refused and then clashes were resumed," the source said.
The Houthis have denied they are fighting the tribes, claiming that their fight is only with government forces. However, at least 60 people died after heavy fighting last week in al Labada and al Zalaa, located in al Amashiah region. Al Amashiah region is in Harf Sufian, 100km north of the capital, Sana'a. The Houthis also have claimed Mr bin Aziz is a warlord. After reopening on Saturday, the road linking the restive Sa'ada province with the capital through Amran was closed after the clashes erupted yesterday. The road had been blocked by the two sides for about a week.
The renewal of the fight came a few hours after Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, said he did not want another war with the rebels. "Peace, security and stability are the choice of the state," Mr Saleh said at a military ceremony in Sana'a. "Stop jeopardising the security and stability of the province of Sa'ada." The north of the country, mainly Sa'ada, has endured six rounds of fighting since an on-and-off war erupted in 2004. Thousands have been killed and wounded in the fighting and about 250,000 displaced, according to the United Nations.
The government accuses the rebels, who belong to the Zaidi sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam, of fomenting sectarian strife and of using arms in an attempt to restore the Zaidi imamate, which was overthrown in a 1962 revolution. The Houthis, however, complain of socioeconomic and religious discrimination at the hands of the government. @Email:maqadhi@thenational.ae