Al Houthi rebels use civilians as human shields

By Nasser Arrabyee/13/10/2009

The Yemeni government accused Al Houthi rebels of preventing the civilians in the volatile areas in Sa’ada from displacing to safer places and using them as human shields.

The supreme security committee, which supervises the 63-day old war, called civilians to displace to four different places, relatively safe, where camps were established.

In responses to the UN repeated calls for securing safe corridors to deliver assistance to the war-affected people, the supervising security committee said that the national committee for relief would secure their passage to the following places:

People from Harf Sufan should displace to the Khaiwan camp in Harf Sufyan.

People from Razeh, Shada, Al Dhaher, haidan and Ghamer should displace to Al Mazrak camp in Al Malahaid, far west of Sa'ada.

People from Bakem, Kataber, and Manbah should displace to Alab camp , far north of Sa'ada.

People from Sahar and Sakain should displace to the city of Sa'ada camp and the two other camps of Ahsa and Wasam close to the city.

More than 60,000 people fled their homes since the outbreak of the war in August 10th, 2009. The UN estimated all the internally displaced persons (IDPs) since the armed rebellion started in June 2004, at 150,000. The population of Sa'ada province is estimated at about 700,000.

For military developments, Monday October 11th , was relatively quiet except for air strikes on the rebels' fortifications and supply movements, according to sources from the ground.

The Ministry of Defense said the troops destroyed a weapons store in Farwah area in Al Mahather. The troops took control over the two farms of Senan and Abu Kuroosh in the areas around Sa'ada city after artillery bombardment on the rebels who occupying the farms.

About 20 rebels were killed Monday in different places in the two main frontlines of Harf Sufyan and Al Malahaid, according to the Ministry's statement.

The statement also said that the troops secured Monday the road of Al Buqa- Sa'ada, which was blocked by Al Houthi rebels earlier Sunday.

Politically, Germany prevented the political spokesman of Al Houthi rebels, Yahya Al Houthi who has been living there since 2005, from exercising activities hostile to Yemen, press reports said,

The Arab American Magazine quoted a Yemeni official in Germany now as saying Germany asked Yahya Al Houthi to stop any hostile activity against Yemen or his refuge will be terminated.