Less than a day after UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar confirmed at a press conference in Sana’a, the capital, that a truce between the Houthis and the Salafis had eventually been brokered, the warring parties returned to their guns, bent on destroying each other.
The Salafis, a group of Sunni radicals, have alleged earlier this week that a week of clashes had already claimed an estimated 100 people, amongst whom many civilians, including women and children.
The sectarian nature of the conflict has had officials back in Sana’a sitting nervously on their seats as they realised that such religious in-fighting could be the undoing of the National Dialogue Conference. Already burdened by al-Harak (Southern Secessionist Movement) ongoing calls for secession, Yemen coalition government does not want to be in the situation where further instability will unravel its past months’ efforts and draw factions to renege on previous negotiations.
The Houthis (Shiite tribal faction led by Abdel Malek al-Houthi) resumed its shelling of Dammaj Salafi Islamic Centre on Monday evening confirmed Surour al-Wadii, a spokesman for the Salafis.
“There were massive Houthi attacks throughout the night against Dar al-Hadith academy and student dormitories …The death toll have risen to at least 100.”
While the Salafis have accused the Houthis of targeting its foreign students in Dammaj in a bid to force the Sunni sect out of the region as to remain the only religious reference in the area, the Houthis have justified their aggression on Dammaj by accusing the Salafis of recruiting and training Jihadists in view of a regional takeover.
Cedric Schweizer, the International Committee of the Red Cross's director in Yemen told reporters on Tuesday that he hoped the Houthis would allow further aid convoy to evacuate the wounded and assist civilians. "There are still more wounded people in need of treatment, and we hope to be able to come back for them," he said in a statement.
In remarks aired by state TV, President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi denounced "sectarian fighting that does not serve the security or stability of the nation."