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Armed tribesmen on Thursday continued to block a main road in Yemen’s coastal Aden province for the second day in a row, according to witnesses.
Members of Yemen’s Yafei tribe reportedly blocked the highway to protest a recent decision by local authorities to release several individuals accused of killing one of their number in May.
A leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on Tuesday unveiled an initiative aimed at halting all military activity in the war-weary country.In a Tuesday tweet, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the group’s so-called Supreme Revolutionary Commission, reiterated calls for a “political solution” to the almost four-year-old conflict.“Our initiative would include instructions from Yemeni official parties [in reference to Houthi institutions] to halt all military and naval operations for a specified, renewable period,” he said.Al-Houthi voiced hope that a Saudi-led military coalition -- cobbled together in 2015 to fight the rebel group -- would reciprocate, “if they really want peace for the Yemeni people”.The Yemeni government, which is currently headquartered in the coastal city of Aden and which is closely supported by the Saudi-led coalition, has yet to issue a formal response to the proposal.The government, however, has previously said it would not negotiate with the rebel group until the latter surrendered the strategic Red Sea port of Al-Hudaydah.While the Houthis have rejected the notion of a unilateral withdrawal from Al-Hudaydah, they have nevertheless voiced their readiness to accept a supervisory role by the UN over the seaport.Earlier this month, UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths proposed a plan by which the Houthis would pull out of Al-Hudaydah after which Yemeni police and UN observers would fill the vacuum.In June, Yemeni government forces -- backed by the Saudi-led coalition -- launched a wide-ranging operation aimed at retaking Al-Hudaydah and its strategic seaport from the rebels.But the United Arab Emirates, a leading member of the coalition, later announced a pause in the operation in hopes of persuading the Houthis to voluntarily leave the coastal province.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when the Shia Houthis overran much of the country, including Sanaa, forcing the country’s pro-Saudi government to take up residence in Aden.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including health and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.
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A high-ranking Yemeni intelligence officer was assassinated in the capital Aden, according to security sources.Colonel Nasser Makrij, a former intelligence officer, was assassinated in front of his house, security sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.Makrij was rushed to hospital but later scummed to his injuries. At least 36 Houthi rebels killed in Yemen clashesImpoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
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According to witnesses, tribesmen brandishing heavy weapons -- including anti-aircraft batteries -- used military vehicles to block the thoroughfare.
For the last three years, the city of Aden -- which since 2015 has served as Yemen’s interim capital -- has seen sporadic attacks on security forces, judicial officials and religious figures.
Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.