Yemeni army deployed in the positions of the rebels

By Nasser Arrabyee/20/02/2010

The Yemeni army redeployed at the borders with Saudi Arabia where Al Houthi rebels were positioning before the war stopped earlier this month, sources close to the mediators said Saturday.

Deployment of the Yemeni army at the borders instead of the rebels is the second thing that Saudi Arabia wanted from the rebels after releasing the Saudi detainees.

Earlier last week, Al Houthi rebels handed over three Saudi soldiers captured by the rebels during battles erupted between the two parties after the rebels attacked the Saudi territories last November.

Al Houthi rebels hinted that the three captives handed were all they had, but the Saudi authorities kept saying five soldiers went missing in the battles with Al Houthis.

Over the last eight days since the cease-fire was declared by the conflicting parties, the mediators have been exerting great of efforts to meet these two conditions of Saudi Arabia, reopening the blocked roads, removing mines , check points, barriers, and barricades.

Today, Saturday, the local authorities have started to work in their offices in the areas which were under the control of the rebels, said mediators.

Abdul Wahab Yahya Al Durah, member of the mediation committee in Al Malahaid, west of Sa'ada, said that local authority officials returned to their offices and started working late last week and today Saturday in six districts in Sa'ada, which were under the control of the rebels. The six districts are Ketaf, Razeh, Al Hashwah, Al Safra, Al Malahaid, and Shada.

On February 12, Al Houthi rebels accepted to implement all the six conditions set by the Yemeni government for ending the war through four separate mediation committees in which Al Houthi rebels were represented.

The four committees were to supervise the implementation of the six conditions in the areas around Sa'ada city, Harf Sufyan, Al Malahaid, and the borders with Saudi Araibia.

The two committees in Al Malahaid, and at the borders, which are close to each other, and both of them being in the far west of Sa'ada, apparently face less difficulties in implementing the six conditions which include the rebels going down from the mountains and handing over the weapons and not attacking the territories of Saudi Arabia.

The committee in Sa'ada, however, has complained of repeated violations and breaches by the rebels while the committee in Harf Sufyan says they did not start working because the rebels did not send their representatives yet.