Yemen rebels 'using civilians as shields'

Sana'a: The Yemeni government accused Al Houthi rebels of preventing civilians in the volatile areas in Sa'ada from relocating to safer places and using them as human shields.

The Supreme Security Committee, which supervises the 63-day old war, called on civilians to relocate to four different relatively safe places where camps have been established.

More than 60,000 people fled their homes since the outbreak of the war on August 10.

The UN estimated the internally displaced persons (IDPs) since the armed rebellion began in June 2004 at 150,000. The population of Sa'ada province is estimated at about 700,000.

On Monday, government troops destroyed a weapons cache in Al Mahather. They also took over two farms in Senan and Abu Kuroosh in areas surrounding Sa'ada, which were occupied by the rebels.

The government claims to have killed 20 rebels between the areas of Harf Sufyan and Al Malahaid, while gaining control of the Al Buqa-Sa'ada road which had been taken over by the rebels.

Meanwhile, according to reports, Germany has banned Yahya Al Houthi, the political leader of the rebels who lives in exile in Germany, from getting involved in any hostile activity against Yemen under pain of revoking his asylum.