Ten soldiers of the regular army of Yemen supported by the military coalition of Saudi Arabia were killed Sunday August 27 in an attack by Houthi rebels after more than a year of relative lull in this war which ravaged the country, have announced to Agence France-Presse (AFP) military sources.
Ten soldiers were killed and twelve others injured during a “surprise attack” which targeted a site of the separatist forces of the South, on the border between the provinces of Lahij and Al-Bayda (South), told AFP the 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 offered 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-Qaida 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 ” constrained “ to reduce aid “vital” in Yemen from the end of September, the UN agency having received no “only 28%” necessary funds for its activities in the country, which represents more than a billion dollars.