One-day payment for displaced people

By Nasser Arrabyee/13/10/2009

The Yemeni government decided Tuesday to deduct one-day payment from the salaries of all employees for helping the displaced people by the war in Sa'ada.

The spokesman for government in his weekly press conference, Hassan Al Lawzi, said the army is advancing in all frontlines of fighting with the rebels.

"The army is advancing, and all areas which have been cleaned up from the rebels are under the full control of the troops, and the rebels can never restore them," he said.

He said is still determined to end armed rebellion and it took this long time only because the rebels are using citizens as human shields in their guerilla war.

Al Lawzi denied that the government closed an Iranian hospital in Sana'a on Tuesday because of supporting Al Houthi rebels.

He said that the Iranian hospital, which was closed all of a sudden on Tuesday, was closed because the hospital owes about 27 million YR to the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs.

"Nobody can close it, and political motivation was behind the closure, it's only the debts," Al Lawzi told the reporters.

The Sana'a-based UNHCR called on the government to change the place of one of four places determined for the displaced people because fighting is very close to it.

The UNHCR's call came hours after the government determined the four places : Al Mazrak, Khaiwan, Sa'ada city, and Alab, as safe places for the IDPs.

Khaiwan, in Harf Sufyan, south of Sa'ada, which is still under establishment, was considered very dangerous by the UN agency.

"It is unsafe, there has been fire exchange for three days there, the relief team can not reach the IDPs," the UNCHR spokesman.

On Monday, five Al Houthi rebels and two displaced people were killed nearby the Khaiwan camp after clashes between tribesmen loyal to the government and the rebels who wanted to attack the troops through the place of the camp.


The agency also said that the first convoy from Saudi Arabia had arrived to help about 2000 displaced people in the far north of Sa'ada. He said one more convoy is coming in the near future.

Meanwhile, a total of 14 rebels were arrested in the city of Sa'ada today Tuesday, said the deputy minister of interior Mohammed Al kawsi, who has been supervising the especial security operations inside the city since beginning of the war last August 10th.

More than 200 rebels were arrested so far inside the city where rebels hide among the residents and try from time to time to attack the security men.