By Mohamed al-Sheberi
SANAA
Capital Sanaa and other Yemeni cities suffered a blackout after a mortar shell damaged a power network during clashes between Shiite Houthi militants and army forces in the eastern Maareb province, a government official said Friday.
"An electricity network extending from Maareb to Sanaa was hit by a mortar shell during confrontations between Houthis on one side and the army and pro-army tribes on the other," the official, requesting anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.
He asserted that the power supply had been completely halted where the network was struck, plunging parts of Sanaa and other cities into darkness since Friday morning amid clashes that remain ongoing.
For months, areas near Yemen's key Maarib province have witnessed intermittent clashes between the Houthis and the army and their tribal allies.
Recent violence has left several dead and wounded on both sides.
The eastern Maarib province is the center of the country's oil production sector.
Yemen has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.
By Mohamed al-Sheberi
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
