After three days of clashes that killed at least forty people, Shiite rebels and Sunni fighters have stopped fighting in a northern Yemeni town. With inputs from AFP and Reuters, Gulf News reports that the ceasefire between the two factions was brokered by the International Red Cross.
The two sides evacuated their positions after which troops were deployed in the area.
The fighting had been concentrated on the Mazraa mosque and a Quranic school held by the Islamists in the village of Dammaj in Saada province. The area was surrounded by Shiite Zaidi rebels, also known as Al Houthis.
The Al Houthis are officially known as Ansar Allah. They have alleged that Sunni militants have turned the center of the village into a barrack of thousands of foreign fighters. In 2004, the Al Houthis rose in rebellion against ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh accusing the government of economic and political marginalization.
