At least 40 people were killed and dozens of others were injured as a result of clashes that have occurred for a third day in a row in the Yemeni province of Marib between the Shia rebel Houthi movement and forces of the internationally recognized government, a local military source told Sputnik
CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2021) At least 40 people were killed and dozens of others were injured as a result of clashes that have occurred for a third day in a row in the Yemeni province of Marib between the Shia rebel Houthi movement and forces of the internationally recognized government, a local military source told Sputnik.
Violent clashes have broken out over the Houthis' attempts to advance toward Marib's Sirwah district, which is home to a strategically important military camp of the government troops located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away from the provincial capital.
At least 40 people were found dead and dozens of others were left injured on both sides throughout three-day hostilities, the source said, adding that the rebels had also captured a head of the operational headquarters of one of the Yemeni army's units. According to the source, Sirwah has a strategic position, as a military airport and oil pipelines are located on its territory.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, in turn, expressed concern over the resumed military activities in Marib, and stressed that a diplomatic political solution is the only way to resolve the long-standing conflict between the sides.
"Extremely concerned about the resumption of hostilities in the governorate of Marib by Ansar Allah [Houthis], especially at a time of renewed diplomatic momentum to end the war in #Yemen & resume the political process. A negotiated political settlement that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people is the only sustainable solution to end this conflict," Griffiths' tweeted.
Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels for over six years now. The former is backed by a military coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia.
