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| Arabia |
| South Yemen Clashes Kill Dozens as Ceasefire Nears End |
| 2015-05-17 |
| [AnNahar] Fierce festivities between rebels and pro-government forces killed dozens across south Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... on Saturday, threatening to derail a humanitarian ceasefire drawn up to bring vital aid to the war-wracked country. The five-day truce initiated by a Saudi-led coalition that has bombarded the Iran-backed rebels for more than six weeks expires late Sunday, and Riyadh has already warned it was "ready to act" against any ceasefire violations. In the latest violence, at least 12 non-combatants were killed and 51 maimed when the Shiite Houthis shelled several neighbourhoods in Yemen's third city of Taez, military and local sources said. The festivities came after overnight fighting killed 26 Houthis and faceless myrmidons loyal to former president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... as well as 14 pro-government forces, military sources said. The United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... has expressed deep concern about the civilian corpse count from the Saudi-led bombing as well as the humanitarian impact of an air and sea blockade imposed by the coalition. It says more than 1,500 people have died in the conflict since late March. Some aid has begun to trickle into Yemen since the pause in fighting, but residents of areas where festivities persist complain they remain without the most basic supplies. The fighting in Taez overnight forced many to flee to the countryside. "Humanitarian aid hasn't reached Taez, where we haven't received fuel, food or medical equipment," said a government official in the city. The United Nations has called for the Saudi-led coalition to simplify import inspections after warning that supplies were still blocked. UN coordinator Johannes van der Klaauw warned that the inspections, introduced under an arms embargo slapped on the Houthis last month, were hampering aid deliveries. "The arms embargo and its inspection regime results in commercial goods, be it by air or by ship, no longer reaching the country," he said. - Soldiers captured - Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has accused the Huthis of repeatedly violating ceasefire terms, but the rebels have pledged to honour the truce. "We are hoping that the Huthis will abide by the terms of the ceasefire and stop their aggressive behaviour if they want the ceasefire to hold," he said. But festivities rocked Aden on Saturday, an Agence La Belle France Presse correspondent said. Heavy artillery, including tank shells, fell on the northern sector of the city, where rebels and Hadi loyalists continue to fight over territory, including a main road giving access to central Aden, military sources said. West Aden was also hit by shelling, they added. And in southern Daleh province, five Huthis were killed overnight when their convoy was ambushed, an official said. The chaos in Yemen has been exploited by gangs, including the country's branch of al-Qaeda, which is viewed by the United States as the world's most dangerous. A local official said 36 Yemeni soldiers were kidnapped by suspected al-Qaeda members overnight in the southern port of Mukalla. The myrmidon group has controlled Mukalla, the capital of Yemen's vast desert Hadramawt province, since April and has for months claimed deadly attacks against Yemen's government-controlled armed forces. The official said al-Qaeda Lions of Islam seized the soldiers late Friday after accusing them of supporting the Huthis. In nearby Shabwa province, armed rustics took control of an oil producing region after two days of festivities with rebel fighters, tribal and military sources said. A conference on Sunday in Riyadh is set to bring rival Yemeni factions around the table in a bid to end the crisis, but the Huthis, who want talks to be held in Yemen, are boycotting the meeting. Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... has vowed to continue military action in Yemen until Hadi's government is restored. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |