bobdina
07-21-2010, 02:25 PM
At least 49 killed in north Yemen clashes: rebels
AFP
by Hammoud Mounassar Hammoud Mounassar – Wed Jul 21, 10:16 am ET
SANAA (AFP) – Fighting in mountainous north Yemen between Shiite rebels and army-backed tribes over the past four days have left at least 49 people dead, threatening a fragile truce, tribal and rebel sources said on Wednesday.
The major confrontations were taking place in al-Amsheyah, in the northern Amran province, where the tribe of MP Sheikh Sagheer Aziz is allegedly besieged by the Huthi rebels.
"The confrontations between the Huthi (rebels) and the supporters of the tribal chief Sheikh Sagheer Aziz have resulted in the death of 20 tribesmen and 10 Huthis," a tribal source told AFP, requesting anonymity.
"Rebels are still besieging the tribe" of Bin Aziz, the source added.
But the rebels' spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam, told AFP that 20 rebels were killed in the confrontations, claiming that the clashes were with the army and not with the tribe.
"We are confronting military positions. These are not tribal areas," he said by telephone.
Aziz is a member of the parliamentary bloc of the ruling General People's Congress party.
Six MPs have started a sit-in on Tuesday at the parliament in support of Aziz, demanding government action to end the alleged siege.
Meanwhile, 62 MPs have signed a petition demanding the government "to assume responsibility in ending the violations committed by the Huthis", and threatened to suspend their parliamentary membership if the authorities fail to help Aziz.
The Amran region and the neighbouring Saada province have been the scene of sporadic clashes between the rebels and government-backed tribes.
In separate clashes on Tuesday, Yemeni tribal chief Sheikh Zaidan al-Moqannay, his son and four of his bodyguards were killed in a rebel ambush in Saada, a security official said.
Abdul Salam denied that the rebels ambushed Moqannay, claiming that he was killed in confrontations which also resulted in the death of three rebels.
"This was not an ambush. There were confrontations. We had casualties, including three killed and four wounded," he said.
The Huthi rebels and the government have repeatedly exchanged accusations of violating a February ceasefire which ended a six-month round of bloody conflict between the two sides.
The war was the latest round in the conflict which flared up in 2004. Thousands were killed and some 250,000 people were internally displaced.
On Tuesday, the rebels said they welcomed a Qatari offer to help consolidate the truce, following a visit last week by the country's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to Sanaa.
"We welcome Qatar's initiative in promoting sustainable peace," Abdul Salam said, adding that the rebels have informed the Qatari emir of their position.
Qatar has been involved in the past in talks between the Sanaa government and the rebels.
In June, 2007, both sides signed a Qatari-brokered peace deal, which did not hold. Representatives of the government and the rebels met in Doha in February 2008 to try and revive the agreement.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100721/wl_afp/yemenunrestrebelstribes
AFP
by Hammoud Mounassar Hammoud Mounassar – Wed Jul 21, 10:16 am ET
SANAA (AFP) – Fighting in mountainous north Yemen between Shiite rebels and army-backed tribes over the past four days have left at least 49 people dead, threatening a fragile truce, tribal and rebel sources said on Wednesday.
The major confrontations were taking place in al-Amsheyah, in the northern Amran province, where the tribe of MP Sheikh Sagheer Aziz is allegedly besieged by the Huthi rebels.
"The confrontations between the Huthi (rebels) and the supporters of the tribal chief Sheikh Sagheer Aziz have resulted in the death of 20 tribesmen and 10 Huthis," a tribal source told AFP, requesting anonymity.
"Rebels are still besieging the tribe" of Bin Aziz, the source added.
But the rebels' spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam, told AFP that 20 rebels were killed in the confrontations, claiming that the clashes were with the army and not with the tribe.
"We are confronting military positions. These are not tribal areas," he said by telephone.
Aziz is a member of the parliamentary bloc of the ruling General People's Congress party.
Six MPs have started a sit-in on Tuesday at the parliament in support of Aziz, demanding government action to end the alleged siege.
Meanwhile, 62 MPs have signed a petition demanding the government "to assume responsibility in ending the violations committed by the Huthis", and threatened to suspend their parliamentary membership if the authorities fail to help Aziz.
The Amran region and the neighbouring Saada province have been the scene of sporadic clashes between the rebels and government-backed tribes.
In separate clashes on Tuesday, Yemeni tribal chief Sheikh Zaidan al-Moqannay, his son and four of his bodyguards were killed in a rebel ambush in Saada, a security official said.
Abdul Salam denied that the rebels ambushed Moqannay, claiming that he was killed in confrontations which also resulted in the death of three rebels.
"This was not an ambush. There were confrontations. We had casualties, including three killed and four wounded," he said.
The Huthi rebels and the government have repeatedly exchanged accusations of violating a February ceasefire which ended a six-month round of bloody conflict between the two sides.
The war was the latest round in the conflict which flared up in 2004. Thousands were killed and some 250,000 people were internally displaced.
On Tuesday, the rebels said they welcomed a Qatari offer to help consolidate the truce, following a visit last week by the country's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to Sanaa.
"We welcome Qatar's initiative in promoting sustainable peace," Abdul Salam said, adding that the rebels have informed the Qatari emir of their position.
Qatar has been involved in the past in talks between the Sanaa government and the rebels.
In June, 2007, both sides signed a Qatari-brokered peace deal, which did not hold. Representatives of the government and the rebels met in Doha in February 2008 to try and revive the agreement.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100721/wl_afp/yemenunrestrebelstribes