Gov't forces, rebels clash in western Yemen

AL-HUDAYDAH, Yemen

Violent clashes took place Wednesday between Houthi rebels and government forces in western Yemen shortly after the UN called on the warring parties to reduce tensions.

A military statement said the clashes erupted when Houthis tried to breach the front lines of government forces in the Hays district, south of the coastal city of Al-Hudaydah.

According to the statement, government forces repelled Houthi rebels attempting to infiltrate the area.

The Yemeni army said that some Houthi rebels were killed and injured in the violence.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the claim.

On Monday, the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement called on Yemen’s warring rivals to halt military escalation in the city and abide by their cease-fire agreement reached in Sweden in 2018.

The Yemeni government and the Houthis signed the Stockholm Agreement in 2018 for a permanent cease-fire in Al-Hudaydah.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict in Yemen has so far claimed the lives of 233,000 people.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz