Al Mukalla: At least twelve Al Houthi fighters and three government forces died on Sunday in heavy clashes in Yemen’s Nehm district, outside the rebel-controlled Sana’a, tribal leaders said on Monday.
Fighting between the two sides has continued unabated since April despite an agreed ceasefire aimed at paving the way for a peace agreement following talks in Kuwait.
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kuwait to hold talks with Yemeni negotiators. He said “serious violations” have been committed in the current ceasefire in Yemen, and called on warring forces to reach a peace deal before the conflict claims more casualties.
Abdullah Al Shandaqi, a spokesperson for the resistance in Sana’a, told Gulf News that army forces backed by tribesmen and the Saudi-led coalition air support killed at least a dozen Al Houthis in Nehm as the rebels launched an attack in a bid to seize areas from the government forces.
“Al Houthi attempts to attack army positions in Nehm set off fierce clashes that claimed the lives of twelve Al Houthis and three resistance fighters. We managed to push them back and took control of some mountainous areas that overlook the centre of Nehm district,” Al Shandaqi said.
Earlier this year, government forces made a major incursion into Al Houthi-controlled territories in Sana’a province after taking control of Nehm military camp and main road that connects the capital with the province of Marib.
These territorial gains enabled the government forces to get quick military reinforcements from Marib, the base of coalition and army forces in northern Yemen.
Also in the north, residents in the government-controlled Hazem city, the capital of Jawf province, said on Sunday that Al Houthis shelled their city with rockets after suffering loses in battlefields there.
The Arab coalition warplanes also hit on Sunday Al Houthis fighters inside Ham military camp, northern Al Matoun district to open the way for government forces who stationed close to the strategic camp.
A day after failing to push government forces out of the HQ of brigade 35 in Taiz, Al Houthis heavily shelled the densely populated city, killing a civilian and injuring many others, local activists said on Sunday.
Pro-government fighter was killed and at least 14 others were injured in the continuing fighting.
The city of Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city after Sana’a and Aden, has experienced a dire humanitarian crisis since March last year when the rebel fighters laid a siege to forces local government allied forces to surrender.
The rebels’ checkpoints outside the city have prevented vital humanitarian supplies from reaching the city promoting hungry people into using risky slopes to sneak them.
The arbitrary shelling and blockade have killed hundreds of civilians and left the city on the brink of mass starvation.
