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Yemeni Shiites fire on troops

Updated: 2010-07-06 13:09

 

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Yemeni Shiite rebels opened fire late on Sunday on government troops sent to quell fighting between the rebels and pro-government tribes, a government official said, threatening a truce in the country's civil war.

Tensions between the rebels and tribes in the country's north have been rising in the Harf Sufyan area for months, and exploded after rebels attacked a tribal leader's home on Friday, killing three of his followers.

The San'a government, with agreement of the rebels, sent troops to the area on Sunday to restore calm. Rebels said gunfire erupted when the contingent of several hundred soldiers turned out to be much larger than the several dozen they had expected.

"Troops were sent to al-Amshia to secure the San'a-Saada road, but the Houthis prevented their arrival and opened fire in their direction," a provincial official told Reuters, referring to the rebels by the tribal name of their leader.

The rebels said they played no role in the shooting, and that civilian gunmen alarmed by the troop influx had opened fire. No injuries were reported, and the troops were prevented from entering the area.

Yemen, which neighbors top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, agreed to a truce with the rebels in February to halt a northern war that has raged on and off since 2004. It has displaced 350,000 people and briefly drew Riyadh last year when rebels seized Saudi border areas.

The ceasefire has largely held, but sporadic violence threatens to further destabilize the Arabian peninsula state that is also trying to subdue southern separatism and fight a resurgent arm of al-Qaida.

San'a also accused the rebels of delaying the implementation of truce conditions with the rebels, who complain of religious and economic discrimination by the state.

The newspaper SABA added that the truce committee remained committed to achieving peace in the north, where last month Yemen accused rebels of killing a government soldier.

The government says rebels have been slow to hand over weapons, including guns, tanks and mortars, and to withdraw from positions in the north. The rebels counter that the state has delayed freeing all rebel prisoners as agreed under the terms of the truce.

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.