Sana'a: The principal of a Sunni school in the northern Yemeni province of Sa'ada has declared war on Al Houthi rebels who have besieged the school for more than a month, Radad Al Hashemi, a student of the school told Gulf News.
"The Imam of Dar Al Hadeeth in Dammaj district, Yahya Al Hajoori, has declared war on the fighters of Al Houthi rebels who refuse to lift their blockade of the school."
Al Hashemi, who has been pursuing religious studies in the school for ten years, said more than 30 students, including many foreigners, have been killed in shelling.
Located in an area overrun by the rebels, Dar Al Hadeeth was established in the 1980s by the late Mogbel Al Wadie, an ultra-conservative Sunni cleric, and currently accommodates more than 10,000 students, ten per cent of them from other Arab countries, and Europe, the US and other countries.
"I have received many calls from our brothers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Canada and other counties who are ready to join us. We do not need their help right now because many others have rushed to our support. But if we cannot defeat them, we will ask for help from our brothers from outside," he added.
"Due to the blockade, families are forced to live on subsistence. They are running out of fuel, food and drinking water."
‘Lack of doctors'
Al Houthi rebels ,who are also at loggerheads with the government after six sporadic wars since 2004, denied accusations of killing students in Dammaj district and accused the media of fabricating stories. In a statement released to the press, Al Houthis said Salafis in the school had raised slogans falsely labelling them as non-believers.
After hearing about the siege, a group of 13 Yemeni human rights activists and journalists headed to the area to closely examine the situation. The Al Houthi rebels stopped them outside the school and only allowed three activists to go in.
"People in the besieged school live in extremely inhuman conditions. There is no medicine and food and many injured people have bled to death due to the lack of doctors and medicine," Mohammad Al Ahmadi, a member of the group, told Gulf News.
"More than 26 people died in two days of shelling. Families are starving and many children could die soon," he said.
