Army soldiers man a checkpoint outside Amran city, the capital of Amran province, north of Sana’a, amid tension with militants from the Shi’ite Houthi group on April 13, 2014. (Reuters/Khalid Abdullah)
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Dozens of Shi’ite insurgents have been killed in the northern Yemeni province of Amran over the past 48 hours, following a series of violent clashes with military forces backed by local tribes.
More than 100 Houthi rebels have been killed over the past ten days in Amran in clashes with Yemeni security forces, a military source speaking on the condition of anonymity informed Asharq Al-Awsat.
Houthi attempts to storm the city have abated after President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi threatened to declare the militia a terrorist group earlier this week. The Houthis have already been designed a terrorist group in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Amran deputy mayor Bakir Ali Bakir said: “The city and its environs have witnessed sporadic clashes over the past 24 hours.”
“Noise of sporadic shots can be heard every now and then but are less severe compared to the violent battles that took place in the past days,” he said, highlighting government efforts to secure a ceasefire.
Bakir called on the Red Cross–Red Crescent to provide more assistance to the city, including helping with the burial of slain fighters.
“Military and security forces have triumphed over the Houthi militias that failed to enter the city after suffering large human losses,” a senior military officer told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added that reinforcements from the ministries of defense and the interior were on their way to the northern city.
During a meeting with Amran tribal leaders earlier this week, President Hadi warned of “inciting wars along partisan, religious, regional or factional lines,” adding that “the security of Amran province is part and parcel of that of the capital.”
Hadi threatened to declare the Shi’ite militia a terrorist group if its members did not renounce violence, a tribal source who attended the meeting informed Asharq Al-Awsat.
The presidential committee tasked with stemming the violence in Amran has submitted its unanimous resignation to Hadi following continuing violence in the north of the country. The committee cited a lack of response and rifts among military leadership in the region for its failure to put an end to the ongoing conflict.