Ten soldiers from Yemen’s regular army, backed by Saudi Arabia’s military coalition, were killed in an attack by Houthi rebels on Sunday (August 27th) after more than a year of relative lull in the war that has ravaged the country. announced to Agence France-Presse (AFP) military sources.
Ten soldiers were killed and twelve others injured in a “surprise attack” which targeted a site of the separatist forces in the south, on the border between the provinces of Lahij and Al-Bayda (south), the authorities told AFP. same sources, who requested anonymity.
According to these sources, the attack targeted a site of the separatist forces of the South, allied to the government against the Houthis and supported by the United Arab Emirates, another key player in the Saudi military coalition. The clashes also left four dead in the Houthi camp, as well as several injured.
The recent rapprochement between Sunni Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and Iran, Shiite and close to the rebels, raised hopes of appeasement, but peace negotiations remain deadlocked in this country of the Arabian Peninsula plunged into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
Fragile truce
A UN-brokered truce that came into effect in April 2022 has brought some respite to a population of thirty million, more than three-quarters of whom depend on humanitarian aid. Officially expired last October, the truce has held relatively since and talks between the rebels and Riyadh have even taken place, but without major progress for the moment.
In recent months, southern Yemen has been rocked by violence, involving the jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also targeting separatists supported by Abu Dhabi.
The war in Yemen has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, with the UN regularly warning of the risk of acute malnutrition of the population, even large-scale famine, amid falling aid international.
Last week, the World Food Program (WFP) said it was “forced” to cut “life-saving” aid to Yemen from the end of September after the UN agency received “only 28%” of the funds needed. for its activities in the country, and which represents more than a billion dollars.
