From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Sep 03 2009 - 08:22:56 EDT
Yemen rebels warn of "attrition" war after truce rejected
Middle East News
Sep 3, 2009, 12:26 GMT
Sana'a, Yemen - A Shiite rebel group fighting the national army in
northwestern Yemen warned Wednesday it would wage a 'war of attrition' after
the government dismissed its offer of a ceasefire.
'From now on, authorities would be responsible for all the grave
consequences of the war, and we promise them heavy surprises, God willing,
and a long war of attrition,' the rebel group said in an e- mailed
statement.
It said authorities have 'lost a valuable opportunity,' by rejecting its
truce offer.
The rebels, known as Houthis, announced on Monday a peace plan, under which
the military offensive against their strongholds in the province of Saada
should stop and the army should withdraw to positions it held before the
beginning of the latest military operation.
The government rejected the offer, saying that they should comply with a
six-term ceasefire plan, which it set out two weeks ago, if they want the
fighting to stop.
The conditions included the withdrawal of insurgents from all districts of
Saada and mountainous sites and the surrendering of military hardware seized
from the army.
The government also called for the rebels to clarify the fate of a German
family of five and a British engineer taken hostage in Saada in June.
The six people were among a group of foreign hostages - seven Germans, a
Briton and a South Korean. They were abducted by armed men in Saada, where
the rebels, known as Houthis, operate.
Three of the hostages - two German women and a South Korean woman teacher -
were found dead two days after the abduction.
Army forces have been pounding rebel bases in Saada, on the border with
Saudi Arabia, in a massive attack since August 11. The offensive included
aerial, artillery and missile strikes on rebel strongholds in strategic
heights overlooking the Saudi border.
Scores of insurgents, civilians and troops have been killed in the past two
weeks and tens of thousands have been displaced.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said last week the military attack would
not stop before the rebels announce an 'unconditional commitment' to the
government's peace terms.
Authorities accuse the Shiite group of seeking to restore the rule of the
Zaydi royal family, known as the imams, who were toppled by a republican
revolution in northern Yemen in 1962.
The Houthis say they are revolting against government corruption and the
Yemeni alliance with the United States.
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