Ten soldiers have been killed in fresh fighting with Houthi rebels in Yemen, military sources told AFP on Wednesday, despite diplomatic efforts to end the conflict that has been going on since 2014. The clashes took place in the province oil tanker in Marib, the last stronghold of power in the North and the scene of sporadic fighting, even during a truce in hostilities in effect since last April.
The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have attacked a mountainous area and are strengthening their forces in the region, two military sources told AFP.
“
The Houthis launched an attack on the hills overlooking Harib district, south of Marib, and advanced on this front, displacing dozens of families,
” one of the sources said, speaking under cover. of anonymity.
"
At least 10 soldiers were killed, as well as an unknown number
" of combatants among the opposing forces, added the source in comments confirmed by a second military officer.
The fighting comes a month after the deaths of at least four soldiers, killed in clashes with rebels in the same area.
They risk dampening hopes of appeasement in this country, the poorest in the Arabian Peninsula, aroused by the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which supports government forces in Yemen.
Appeasement?
In this same context of rapprochement between the two heavyweights in the region, who announced on March 10 their decision to restore their diplomatic relations, the UN announced on Monday an agreement concluded in Switzerland between the government and the rebels on an exchange of more
than 880 prisoners,
inviting the two parties
to continue negotiations.
Yemen, Hans Grundberg, after ten days of discussions organized under the aegis of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The participants "
agreed to meet again in mid-May to discuss a new exchange of prisoners
", he added, specifying that "
the exchange would take place in three weeks
".
The prisoner exchange is good news for hundreds of Yemeni families, but "
much remains to be done
" to end the conflict in Yemen, he warned.
But the current regional dynamics and the "
serious diplomatic efforts undertaken at different levels
" could help to move in this direction, he added.
According to the UN, the civil war that started in 2014 left hundreds of thousands dead, millions displaced, and left two-thirds of the population in need of aid, with a situation close to famine in large scale.
A UN-brokered ceasefire, which came into effect in April 2022, has significantly reduced hostilities.
It expired in October, the belligerents not having reached an agreement allowing it to be renewed, but the fights remain relatively rare.
