ADEN, Mar 25 (NNN-YPA) – Yemen’s internationally-recognised government, warned yesterday, of a possible return to all-out military conflict in the country, following an uptick in attacks by the Houthi militia, in the north-eastern oil-rich province of Marib.
Yemen’s Information Minister, Moammar al-Eryani, said in a statement that, scores of Houthi rebels launched a large offensive against government-controlled areas in the Harib district, west of Marib, forcing hundreds of local households to flee.
Despite recent diplomatic efforts towards peace, heavy clashes between the Yemeni army and the Houthi militia were reignited in Marib, during the past three days, with Tuesday’s overnight fighting in Harib leaving 19 people from both sides killed, and several others injured.
Eryani called on the UN, and the international community, to condemn the Houthis’ actions and apply pressure, to push them towards peaceful resolutions, preventing a return to full-scale war.
He said that, the Houthi rebels’ offensive against Marib has caused significant destruction, with villages in Harib district coming under missile and artillery fire.
The latest assault confirmed the Houthi group’s “persistent use of political and military escalation tactics, aiming to take advantage of the ongoing state of neither war nor peace that has persisted since the truce’s expiration, in order to secure strategic gains on the battlefield,” said Eryani in his statement.
The resurgence of fighting also threatens the fragile peace process, bolstered by the recent agreement between the warring Yemeni sides, to exchange hundreds of war prisoners under the auspices of the United Nations.
