Al Houthis target refugee camp near Yemeni capital

Cairo: Yemeni authorities have accused the country’s Iran-allied Al Houthi militia of hitting a refugee camp outside the rebel-held capital Sana’a, the scene of raging fight between the two sides, Saudi television Al Arabiya reported Monday.

Al Houthi militiamen “deliberately targeted” Al Khaneq refugee camp, home to about 1,500 displaced families, the authorities.

The camp is located about 50 kilometres from the battleground where the Yemeni army and Al Houthis are locked in fierce clashes.

“Humanitarian organisations are urged to swiftly respond to the needs of those displaced by the clashes and from the camp,” authorities said.

There were no immediate figures about potential casualties or civilians forced by violence to flee the area.

Last week, the Yemeni army, supported by an Arab coalition, initiated a major offensive against

Al Houthis in the area of Nehim, east of Sana’a. The government forces have since reported territorial progress on the Nehim front, the nearest to Sana’a.

Yemen’s conflict erupted after Al Houthis toppled the internationally recognised government and overran parts of the country, including Sana’a, in late 2014.

In March, 2015, the Arab Alliance co-led by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, intervened in Yemen in response to a request from its government after Al Houthis advanced on the southern city of Aden, the country’s provisional capital.