Clashes in Yemeni capital cast doubt on deal signing
Sun Sep 21, 2014 7:59am GMT
SANAA (Reuters) - Shi'ite Houthi rebels and government forces fought for a
fourth straight day in the Yemeni capital, residents said, despite the
announcement of a U.N.-brokered agreement due to be signed later on Sunday.
Residents reported sounds of heavy shelling throughout Saturday night in an
area of the capital near the headquarters of the first armoured division
camp and close to the religious university of Iman.
The fighting, which intensified on Thursday after weeks of protests and
clashes, appeared to be the biggest challenge yet to a U.N.-backed
transition to democracy launched after veteran ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh was
forced to step down in 2012.
U.N. special envoy 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 and
was to be signed on Sunday.
Despite the accord, one Houthi rebel leader told Reuters they had
intensified the shelling of the army division camp and driven soldiers out.
"We controlled a military unit east of the first armoured division .... and
we continued heavy shelling of the division headquarters and the nearby Iman
university in all directions," Ali al-Emad told Reuters late on Saturday.
Al Jazeera television reported sounds of two explosions to the north of the
capital towards dawn.
Fighting raged on throughout Saturday on the outskirts of Sanaa, 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 9 p.m. until 6 a.m., and schools were shut until further notice.
Still, President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi expressed support for the
U.N.-brokered deal on Saturday and Houthis said their representatives would
reach the capital travelling from Saada on Sunday to sign it.
Insecurity and political turmoil have grown since Saleh was ousted by Arab
Spring protests. The Houthi insurrection is one of several threats to the
stability of Yemen, which borders oil exporter Saudi Arabia and is
struggling with a secessionist movement in the south and a spreading al
Qaeda insurgency.
The Houthis, who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, have been
struggling for a decade against the Sunni-dominated government for more
territory and autonomy in the north.
In recent weeks, Houthi protesters have blocked the main road to Sanaa'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.
(Reporting By Mohammed Ghobari; Writing By Maha El Dahan; Editing by William
Maclean and Paul Tait)
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Received on Sun Sep 21 2014 - 18:50:37 EDT