Houthis blame army for breaching truce [Archives:2008/1127/Front Page]
By: Mohammed Bin Sallam
SA'ADA, Feb. 6 ) A state of relative quiet prevails in most of Sa'ada's districts; however, the army continues striking nearby villages and citizens' property with mortars and heavy machine guns in Juma'a Bin Fadhel and other areas, thereby breaching a recently reached truce with the Houthis, a truce expected to go into effect Wednesday, Feb. 6, mentioned Sheikh Saleh Habra, who attended the Doha Peace Deal's proceedings on the Houthis' behalf. Habra contacted the Yemen Times by phone.
“As Houthi supporters, we ceased operations against the army and security forces, lifted the siege on two military detachments and allowed military vehicles, loaded with food supplies and medical equipment, to reach solders,” the sheikh added. “But, the army prevents any vehicles, loaded with foodstuffs and other supplies, from reaching Houthi supporters. Despite this, we are still optimistic that government officials may behave reasonably and abide by the Doha Peace Deal.”
A well-informed source stated Monday that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered army commanders to cease firing at followers of the religious cleric Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, according to a Doha-brokered peace deal on Friday.
Saleh's decision came days after the government and Houthis signed the peace deal, with the aim of placing a previous agreement in effect, made last June in the same Gulf state. The deal indicates that both conflicting sides want to end the fighting that has claimed thousands of lives and left thousands on both sides injured since it began in June 2004.
In the meantime, another source related to Houthi field leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi mentioned in a statement distributed by local media earlier this week that the religious cleric ordered his supporters in Haidan district's Juma'a Bin Fadhel area to halt all armed operations until concerned authorities evacuate army personnel injured in Sunday's helicopter crash, as well as others wounded in clashes with Houthis, to hospitals.
The 17th Military Division Commander, Abdulaziz Al-Shihari, and other military personnel, including the pilot, faced various injuries when a helicopter, transporting them, was shot down by Houthis.
The Yemeni government and Houthis signed a peace deal on Friday to reinforce the main agreement reached by both sides in June 2007.
Political Advisor to Yemeni President Abdulkarim Al-Eryani signed the agreement on the Yemeni government's behalf, while Sheikh Saleh Ahmad Ali Habra represented Abdulmalik Al-Houthi and his supporters in the Doha deal. Habra flew to Qatar after the government insisted that he should carry a written authorization from the Houthis' field leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi.
The event was also attended by Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamid Al Thani, military commander Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, and Parliament member Yahya Al-Houthi, who is currently residing in Germany.
The Qatari committee that supervised the first stages of the Doha Agreement withdrew from Sa'ada after it failed to persuade the conflicting parties to abide by the agreement. Media sources said the most recent agreement concentrated on specifying clear methods of applying the previous agreement and giving priority to humanitarian issues.
The Yemeni government earlier refrained from releasing details about the Doha deal, chaired by Al-Eryani and Sheikh Habra, and refused to give statements to the press regarding the deal. This behavior indicates that the government is not satisfied with the deal, mainly as its troops continue assaulting Houthi strongholds in different Sa'ada districts, notably the Haidan, Merran and Marahidh districts.
According to media sources, Qatari government officials advised Sana'a about the necessity of closing the Sa'ada case file and remaining committed to the Doha agreement, stating the government must reconstruct the war-ravaged governorate and compensate those whose property was damaged in the wars.
The same sources went on to say that the Qatari government approved an additional $25 million to the previously pledged amount to the Sa'ada Reconstruction Fund. The additional funding, which the Qatari conditioned to be spent via the Yemeni Red Crescent Society, was approved as compensation for the so-called popular army, made up of tribesmen who backed the government in its fight with Houthis.
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