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Leader of Shia Rebels Calls For International Aid |
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Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
The leader of Shia rebels in the northern governorate of Saada, Abdul-Malik
al-Houthi, has called on aid agencies and the UN to focus their efforts on areas
that have witnessed fierce clashes between his supporters and government troops
over the past few days.
Al-Houthi told IRIN on 5 May the army had blockaded certain areas, preventing
food supplies from getting through.
"For more than a week, the army has besieged Al-Takrit and Haidan districts.
Food supplies are not being allowed to enter these areas and aid agencies are
ignoring them... The authorities will be responsible for any famine that occurs
as a result. Aid agencies have to show their kindness towards war-affected
citizens," he said.
The blockade was being used to pressure citizens to support government forces,
he said.
Dozens on both sides have been killed in the fighting over the past few days,
according to the Ministry of Defense.
Al-Houthi said the past four days had seen some fierce clashes: "The army
attacked Haidan and Munabeh districts using tanks, artillery and mortars. In
other districts there was only tension. Now there is relative calm," he said.
In an interview with RMC Middle East, Al-Houthi underlined that military chiefs
in the army were undermining Qatari mediation efforts to resolve the recent
outbreak of fierce clashes. "Military chiefs refuse to bring an end to the war
because it serves their interests," he stated. He said the army had also
attacked rebel checkpoints.
Recent major attacks
Sixteen people were killed and 45 wounded in a motorcycle bomb attack outside
Bin Salman mosque in Saada city on 2 May. The bomb exploded as worshipers were
emerging from the mosque after Friday prayers. Security authorities said the
attack was planned by the rebels, an accusation rejected by al-Houthi.
"We criticize and condemn this regrettable incident," he told Al Jazeera
television. "We deny completely any role in this incident. It is not part of our
ethics to target any mosque or any worshippers at all."
Security authorities said seven soldiers were killed and another 17 injured in a
rebel ambush in Majz District on 29 April.
Al-Houthi, meanwhile, has accused the government of not implementing the
Qatari-brokered peace agreement signed in February by the two sides.
"They [the authorities] have not ceased fire or released prisoners, and life has
not returned to normal. The army has not even vacated our villages, markets,
farms and schools. We have complied 80 percent with the peace agreement. Our
supporters have come down from 54 sites on the mountains, handed over main
routes to the authorities and released prisoners of war," he said.
Since early April, the Saada province has seen an influx in the number of military
personnel and outposts. Experts blame the recent wave of violence on the
government's desire to settle the score with the al-Houthi rebels militarily.
This approach, they argue, will sabotage any peace efforts brokered by regional
players and would lead to further escalation of the conflict.
IDPs
"New displacements have taken place due to the latest fighting. Despite a peace
agreement signed in February 2008, the situation remains volatile," the UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) office in Yemen said, adding that new internally
displaced persons (IDPs), were continuing to arrive in Saada city, including
over 200 families in the past week.
Earlier, on 22 April, it had appealed for nearly US$3 million to assist 77,000
IDPs in Saada Governorate, one of the results of the stop-go conflict which
dates back to 2004.
Freedom of Press
Meanwhile, on the occassion of the World Press Freedom Day, Yemeni journalists
spoke out against the regressing state of press freedom in Yemen. During the
recent wave of attacks by the government in its war against the al-Houthi rebels
in Sa’ada northern province, journalists were banned from covering the incidents
of the war. The Ministry of Information issued a resolution to ban the al-Wasat
independent weekly newspaper under the pretense of violating the press law and
for inciting the public against the unity of the country, as well as agitating
sectarian hatred, as stated in the resolution issued by the Ministry of
Information.
Source: AIM News & IRIN
Comments posted are the sole opinion of the author and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of AIM. |
