Shiite Houthi rebels and government forces fought for a fourth straight day in the Yemeni capital, residents said, despite the announcement of a UN-brokered agreement which was due to be signed yesterday.
Residents reported sounds of heavy shelling throughout Saturday night in an area of the capital near the headquarters of the 1st Armored Division camp and close to the Islamic Iman University.
The fighting, which intensified on Thursday after weeks of protests and clashes, appeared to be the biggest challenge yet to a UN-backed transition to democracy launched after former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down in 2012.
Photo: Reuters
UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar, who had held talks with Houthi leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi in their home province of Saada on Wednesday and Thursday, announced late on Saturday that an agreement had been reached which was to be signed yesterday.
Despite the accord, one Houthi rebel leader told reporters that they had intensified the shelling of the army division camp and driven soldiers out.
“We controlled a military unit east of the 1st Armored Division ... and we continued heavy shelling of the division headquarters and the nearby Iman University in all directions,” Ali al-Emad told reporters late on Saturday.
Al Jazeera television reported the sounds of two explosions to the north of the capital toward dawn.
Fighting raged on throughout Saturday on the outskirts of Sana’a, and rebels said they had taken control of the headquarters of state television. Yemen’s Higher Security Committee announced a curfew in four areas of the capital from 9pm until 6am and schools were shut until further notice.
Still, Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi expressed support for the UN-brokered deal on Saturday and Houthis said their representatives would reach the capital yesterday to sign it.
Insecurity and political turmoil have grown since Saleh was ousted by the Arab Spring protests. The Houthi insurrection is one of several threats to the stability of Yemen.
In recent weeks, Houthi protesters have blocked the main road to Sana’a’s airport and held sit-ins at ministries. They have called for the government to step down, and for the restoration of subsidies cut by the state in July as part of economic reforms.
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