Calls for humanitarian aid as hundreds are displaced by clashes

Hundreds of citizens in Saada, a northern province of Yemen, have been displaced from their homes for a second time following a renewed bout of clashes between government forces and followers of Shia rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, according to local residents.

[Read this report in Arabic]

Though a peace agreement was signed between the two sides in June 2007, following mediation by the Qatar government, fighting resumed in late December 2007.

Haidan District in Saada, thought to be a stronghold of the rebel leaders, has been at the centre of the ongoing conflict, which has seen tens of people from both sides killed and many more injured, according to Saada locals. Residents told IRIN by telephone that hundreds of people had fled their homes and farms to nearby areas, including Saada City, the capital of the province. They also said that government forces had used heavy weaponry.

A supporter of al-Houthi, known as Abu Akram, told IRIN that military aircraft had bombarded the area for the past two days after ground troops had besieged it. "The military attacked the area with missiles and artillery, destroying tens of houses and farms," he said.

Conditions deteriorating

Abu Akram said he did not know how many people had been killed or injured during the attacks, but said conditions were quickly deteriorating for civilians.

Photo: United Nations

A map of Yemen highlighting Saada province

"Children and women are very frightened. People are in dire need of food and water,” he said. “Life has come to a standstill, including schools and health facilities. There is an urgent need for humanitarian aid to save people's lives. We need the immediate reconstruction of our destroyed houses, and we need food, water and electricity.”

According to Abu Akram, this latest round of clashes began following the celebration of al-Ghadeer Day (this year falling on 27 December 2007), when Shia Muslims commemorate the occasion when they say the Prophet Muhammad nominated his cousin and son-in-law, Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, to succeed him. "The security authorities tried to stop us from celebrating this day and clashes took place as a result," he said.

According to al-Houthi supporters, many people were arrested by government security forces who do not recognise this day as an Islamic holiday.

Officials in Saada refused to comment on the situation, saying they were not allowed to speak to the media.

State of emergency

The Yemeni government has declared a state of emergency in the region and imposed a curfew from 8pm to 5am, according to Saada residents.

Fighting between government forces and Shia rebels first broke out in 2004 and escalated in early 2007 after a group of al-Houthi supporters threatened the Jewish community in Saada to leave the country within 10 days.

On 14 January, rebel leader al-Houthi said the government was about to launch a new war, which he described in a statement as “the fifth war on Saada locals”. "Such a war will have adverse effects on the country on military, economic, and social levels," he said.

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