Concern over humanitarian situation as fighting resumes in north

Aid agencies have expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in the northern governorate of Sa’ada following renewed fighting between government troops and supporters of late Shi’ite dissident Badr Eddin al-Houthi. "We’re concerned about the needs in Sa’ada but don’t have any information on the humanitarian situation there,” said Hisham Hasan, a communications delegate with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sana. Fighting reignited in November 2005 after a September amnesty issued by President Ali Abdullah Saleh for al-Houthi’s militia members fell through. Since then, dozens of people from both sides have reportedly been killed or injured, although details remain vague. Recent clashes have reportedly led to the displacement of scores of people from the villages of al-Salem, Nushur, Bani Muath, Suhar, al-Naqa’a, Kutaf and al-Khafji. According to local sources, refugees are seeking safe haven from air raids and artillery barrages. With no aid agencies operating in the area and with fighting taking place over large, remote regions, precise numbers of the displaced remain unclear. Many have reportedly retreated into surrounding mountains or to neighbouring areas. “The people who fled to the mountains are in a miserable situation, lacking food and water,” said Hussein Saleh (not his real name), a tribesman from Sa’ada. “The people can’t hospitalise their relatives for fear of arrest.” The military often conducts raids in civilian areas in search of al-Houthi supporters – known as the al-Shabab al-Mu’men, or “Faithful Youth” militia – who have been accused of fomenting sectarian strife. The organisation originated in 1997 as a cultural and religious movement based on Shi’ite Muslim teachings. In recent years, however, members were accused by the government of inciting hatred against the US and Israel. After a string of subsequent arrests, a full-blown armed conflict erupted in May 2004. Al-Houthi, a prominent Shi’ite religious leader and parliamentary representative for the al-Haq Islamic party from 1993 to 1997, was killed by the army in 2004. Aid agencies, meanwhile, say they are unable to access affected areas. “We don’t have any information on the situation in Sa’ada except what we get from the media,” said the ICRC’s Hasan. “We’re still discussing with the government how to access to the area.” An official at the Ministry of Local Administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that aid agencies had not been denied access to the area. He added, however, that it was not safe for them to operate there because of the security situation. The official added that the ICRC, UN agencies and other local organisations had been to Sa’ada to provide emergency aid and conduct needs assessments, although this was some time ago. Sa’ada’s poor infrastructure and rugged terrain prevent cars from reaching many villages, some of which have also been cordoned off by the military. Sa’ada resident Abdul-kareem al-Ruzami said that food supplies were not reaching his village. “There isn’t enough food, and people are digging into their stocks,” he said. Last week, fighting also disrupted a nationwide polio-vaccination campaign in the districts of Suhar, Kutaf and al-Safra, according to Abdullah Mutahar, director of one of the health ministry’s healthcare units. Over a thousand children were unable to receive vaccinations as a result, Mutahar said.