250 Die In 3 Days of Fighting in Yemen Town

Photo - marebpress.net
Houthi band of Brothers

Fighting in central Yemen between Shiite Houthi rebels and an influential tribe in the town of Radda killed at least 250 people over three days of clashes, security officials said Monday.The violence in Yemen’s central Bayda province saw fighters from the strong Qifa tribe force the Houthis out of the Manasih area in Radda, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorized to speak to journalists.Last week, the Houthis entered Radda, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of the capital, Sanaa, after the commander of the army’s Battalion 193 gave up his troops positions. The commander is said to be a loyalist of the ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was deposed after the country’s 2011 uprising.

The Houthis, widely suspected of having links to Shiite powerhouse Iran, gained control of Sanaa in September and have waged ongoing battles with opposing tribes and militants from al-Qaida’s Yemen branch.A peace agreement signed between the Houthis and the government so far has failed to end the fighting.Meanwhile, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has lashed out at Houthis for the first time since they seized Sanaa.

“The armed expansion of the Houthis in several provinces and areas under different unsubstantial excuses and slogans is incomprehensible or acceptable after signing the peace and national partnership agreement,” Hadi said Sunday.