Sana'a: A deal that ended six months of fighting between Yemeni government forces and Shiite rebels last month is close to collapse amid disagreements over the handover of weapons and prisoners.
Rebels loyal to Abdul Malek Al Houthi accepted a truce on June 16, halting clashes that have killed hundreds and displaced thousands in Yemen's northern province of Sa'ada this year.
But members of a mediation committee comprised of Yemeni parliamentarians and three officers from Qatar, which helped broker the ceasefire, said the rebels had missed deadlines to hand over weapons and withdraw from some of their positions.
"The [Al] Houthi followers are not serious and have not withdrawn from any position or handed over their weapons despite the fact that we gave them more than one chance to comply," committee spokesman Yaser Al Awadi said. Al Houthi said in a statement late on Tuesday that his followers had withdrawn from 52 positions in Sa'ada and that the mediators were "rushing".
He accused the army of violating the truce by attacking his followers and said mediators had not taken action to stop it.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said last week that the rebels had until last Thursday to hand in their arms but the deadline was extended until the end of Tuesday.
