ReliefWeb

Nasser Al-Sakkaf (author)

The committee was formed last week under orders from President Hadi

SA’ADA, August 26 – The mediation committee tasked with resolving the Salafi-Houthi dispute in Damaj district has mediated a ceasefire between the two sides, allowing officials to remove bodies from under the rubble and to transport the injured to hospitals. The committee was formed by President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi one week ago.

Three Damaj residents were killed last week and two houses were damaged during the ongoing dispute between the two sides.

Committee member Alawi Al-Basha told the Yemen Times that the committee arrived in Sa’ada Saturday and was able to arrange for 17 injured individuals to be taken to the Sana’a military hospital on Sunday. Both sides have begun leaving their barracks.

“About 60 percent of the barricades have been removed. Six barricades belonged to the Salafis and four were controlled by the Houthis, Al-Basha said.

Both sides have engaged in the second phase of the mediation—the creation of a roadmap to guarantee non-violent conflict resolution between the sides in the future.

Sa’ada governor Fares Mana accompanied the mediation committee to Damaj. The Red Cross entered Damaj prior to the ceasefire and removed one body from under the rubble when no one could reach the corpse, Mana said.

The Red Cross has not yet finished removing the bodies from under the rubble, he said. Some homes have completely collapsed and retrieving bodies is difficult. The Red Cross has purchased the necessary equipment to search for more bodies, Mana said.

Previous attempts by mediation committees to end the Salafi-Houthi conflict in Damaj have failed.