As a third ceasefire came into effect in the northern city of Dammaj, located in the northern province of Sa’ada, which region falls directly under the influence of the Houthis (a Shiite group turned mainstream politics in the wake of 2011 uprising), officials in the capital, Sana’a confirmed late on Thursday that two soldiers had died on duty as “they deployed to police a truce in Dammaj.”
"A mine exploded as a military vehicle passed by, killing one soldier instantly and grievously wounding another who died later," AFP quoted a government source as saying.
While the authorities could not establish at this stage which party is to be held responsible for targeting the peacekeeping forces, such belligerent act does not bode well for the new truce especially since all others only managed to hold for a few hours, giving civilians but a brief respite.
As the Houthis and the Salafis (Sunni radicals) dig in their heels in Dammaj, determined to stand their ground before their political and religious arch enemy, the two factions have continued to vent their differences in the media, both intent on smearing the other.
Speaking to the Yemen Post, Hassan al-Homran, spokesperson for Ansar Allah (Houthi political arm) already linked the Salafis to al-Qaeda, claiming both groups are but one and the same. As for the Salafis, they have argued the Houthis are Iranian agents, working to weaken the state and hand over Yemen to Tehran’s hegemonic ambitions.
Security experts have warned that by willingly targeting the armed forces one of the faction might be trying to draw in President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi and force to engage into the conflict as another player.