A tribal mediation led by sheikh Hussein Al-Ahmer could put an end to the sporadic deadly battles between the Shiite Houthi Group and the Salafis, part of the Sunni Muslims, in north Yemen, which erupted coinciding with a UN-sponsored power-transfer deal in December, locals in Saada said on Sunday.
The two sides eagerly agreed to the terms of the mediation, which called for ceasing fire, removing all war positions, mutual respect of each other's religious beliefs and equal citizenship as all Yemeni people, the sources said by telephone.
"The mediation also called for terminating checkpoints by both sides, returning properties seized during the battles, recovering the bodies, swap of prisoners and avoiding word wars or unjustified accusations," they added.
The sporadic battles , in which hundreds have been killed from both extremist groups in the Kitaf district and other areas reaching nearby Hajjah province, directly came to an end with the two groups vowing to put their disagreements aside and live together peacefully forever.
When the Yemeni parties signed the power-transfer deal, which saw former president relinquish power after 33 years in office, the Houthis and Salafis started to trade accusations of provocation and then fought each other.
The reasons behind the fight, according to spokesmen from the groups, included religious slogans and speeches including sermons by the Salafis who argued the Houthi people are not 'true Muslims'.
The Yemeni army fought the armed Houthi Group fought the Yemeni army six times in Saada province, the latest in 2009, on the grounds this group ordered its members to take arms against the authorities and that it received support from Iran to form a Shiite sect in the country.