Nasser Al-Sakkaf (author)
AMRAN, Sept. 4—Salafis and security forces continue to battle Houthis who’ve positioned themselves in Al-Asha district’s mountains, attempting to remove them from the site. The Houthis, who reside in the neighboring areas, have been positioned in the mountains for 21 days.
A detonated landmine left ten Houthis dead on Monday, Al-Asha security manager Mohammed Al-Raei told the Yemen Times.
“The Houthis [likely] planted landmines in the mountainous areas under their control so that no one would be able to [seize] those areas,” Al-Raei said.
Al-Asha district borders Sa’ada governorate where sectarian conflict between the Houthis and the Salafis has been ongoing, and worsened by alleged efforts by the Houthis to take over more land.
Houthi leader Ali Al-Emad said Al-Asha has been witnessing a “war” between the Houthis and Salafi tribesmen loyal to the powerful Al-Ahmar family.
El-Mad said that neither the security forces nor the tribes have stepped in to resolve the dispute.
Najeeb Al-Sa’adai, head of the Wethaq Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to development and improving civil society, said the dispute between the Houthis and the tribesmen has resulted in more landmines just when the country was making progress towards their eradication.
“The Houthis want to take more land in Amran,” Al-Sa’adai said.
Five governorates were landmine-free as of last month, according to the National Anti-Landmine Project, including Sana’a, Aden, Thamar, Ahmahweet and Raimah.
Abyan was declared landmine free but made its way back on the list after the 2011 uprising. Since the organization’s inception in 1999, 292,737 landmines and shells have been removed. There have been 3539 casualties of landmines since 1999, including 504 children.
