Yemen - conflict in north

Fighting continues despite ceasefire promise

Article published on the 2009-09-19 Latest update 2009-09-19 13:57 TU

Girls displaced by the ongoing hostilities in northwestern Yemen stand outside their tent in al-Mazraq refugee camp
(Photo: Reuters)

Fighting continued in north Yemen on Saturday, even though the government had promised to suspend a five-week offensive against Shia-Muslim rebels, known as Huthis.

On Saturday morning there was fighting in Harf Sufyan in Amran province, Malaheez in Saada and Bakem, according to government officials, who blamed the rebels for targeting government positions.

A Defence Minstry website accuses "rebellion and sabotage elements" of attacking security forces, adding that the "rebels' claims of defending themselves are untrue".

Earlier, the government promised to suspend fighting "on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan" from 2am local time and said that the ceasefire would become permanent at 9am UT Saturday.

But it posed conditions, including the opening of roads, evacuation of rebel positions and the freeing of captured soldiers and civilians.

The rebels promised to examine the conditions, while accusing government forces of holding prisoners for up to four years.

But they also accused the government of "continuing their aggression in the combat zone" and said that army attacks were "accompanied by intense rocket and shellfire".

Operation Scorched Earth began on 11 August and a previous ceasefire broke down earlier this month.

Sanaa accuses the rebels, whose leader Hussein Badr Eddin al-Huthi was killed in 2004, of wanting to restore the Zaidia Shia imamate which was overthrown in 1962,