Tribesmen protest as Sa’ada reconstruction committee fails to make progress on the ground [Archives:2008/1178/Local News]
SA'ADA, Aug, 3 ) A recently formed committee to reconstruct damage from the four-year fighting between the Yemeni army and Houthi loyalists has failed to make progress on the ground, despite the fact that it commenced working many days ago, tribal sources from Sa'ada governorate allege, noting that the committee's failure to reconstruct damaged infrastructure has enraged tribesmen affected by the war.
The sources continued, reporting that pro-government tribesmen in Nishour area prevented the field committee from surveying the mass destruction in the home district of Houthi field leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi and former ruling party Member of Parliament Abdullah Al-Rizami. The angry tribesmen forced the committee to leave their area.
Likewise, other local sources in the war-ravaged governorate told Al-Sahwa.net that tribesmen related to General People's Congress-affiliated MP Sheikh Fayez Abdullah Hames Al-Awjari prevented the committee from carrying out reconstruction work in Al-Rizami's area.
The tribesmen demanded the committee begin reconstructing their areas, which were exposed to mass devastation during the war, pointing out that they are loyal to the Yemeni government and, as a result, it must give top priority to reconstructing their area.
In related news, Houthi gunmen in Amran governorate's Harf Sifyan district now have released pro-government Sifyan tribesmen, who were arrested when clashes between Houthis and the Yemeni army first erupted in the district.
According to local sources in Harf Sifyan district, Sheikh Abdullah Mohammed Talea, Ali Saleh Talea, Shoai Edaira and his brother Mohammed Edaira and Mujahid Edaira were freed Sunday after being held captive by Houthis for more than two months. However, the sources noted that Muqbil Al-Rumi, who was arrested with the abovementioned tribesmen, remains in captivity.
Al-Houthi recounts how war ended
Abdulmalik Al-Houthi said that fighting between his supporters and Yemeni government troops halted due to a verbal understanding reached through local mediation efforts that persuaded both warring sides to abide by a signed truce and allow the transport of food supplies and medicine to Sa'ada residents.
Stressing that no international party intervened in halting the war, Al-Houthi said during an interview with Aleshteraki.net that, “Internal factors on the ground played a key role in ending the fighting, which is notable when looking at the [Yemeni] army's unsatisfactory performance during the most recent clashes.”
He further concluded that complicated conditions and Sa'ada's harsh topography were the most significant factors behind the notable failure of the military's operations. The Houthi field leader described Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's decision to end the war as “wise and judicious. Our side welcomes this decision and we believe that ending this war is a triumph for Yemen and all Yemeni people.”
He continued, “Realizing his national responsibility as president of this nation, President Saleh decided to cease military operations against Sa'ada because he also understands that such fighting favors neither the nation nor the government, nor does it help maintain national security and stability.”
Al-Houthi noted that his brother, Yahya Al-Houthi, a Yemeni MP currently in voluntary exile in Germany, undertook communications at both the international and Arab levels with the intention of pressuring Yemen's ruling authority to end the war in Sa'ada.
The field leader disclosed that 70 percent of government troops deployed in Sa'ada now have withdrawn, denying several media reports that his followers are seizing control of some areas following such troops' withdrawal. He further denied allegations that some of his followers are replacing government officials as district directors in some areas.
Admitting that the war ended via a government decision, Al-Houthi confirmed that good political will on the government's part is the only guarantee to prevent renewed clashes.
He refused to discuss the Doha-brokered peace deal that he reached with the Yemeni government this past February, saying that he's unwilling to talk about it at the present time.
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