Ten soldiers have been killed in fresh fighting with Houthi rebels in Yemen, military sources told AFP on Wednesday, despite diplomatic efforts to end the conflict that has lasted since 2014.
The clashes took place in the oil-rich province of Marib, the last stronghold of power in the north and the scene of sporadic fighting, even during a truce in hostilities in force since last April.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked a mountainous area and are building up their numbers in the area, two military sources told AFP.
“The Houthis launched an attack on the hills overlooking Harib district, south of Marib, and advanced on this front, displacing dozens of families,” one of the sources said, speaking under cover. of anonymity.
“At least 10 soldiers were killed, as well as an unknown number” of combatants among the opposing forces, added the source in his remarks confirmed by a second military officer.
The fighting comes a month after the death of at least four soldiers in the same area, and as Saudi Arabia and Iran, which support opposing sides in this war, announced the restoration of diplomatic relations, giving a ray of hope for Yemenis after nearly 10 years of conflict.
Also, the UN announced on Monday an agreement reached in Switzerland between the government and the rebels on an exchange of more than 880 prisoners, inviting the two parties to continue negotiations.
The prisoner exchange is good news for hundreds of Yemeni families, but “much remains to be done” to end the conflict in Yemen, warned the UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
But the current regional dynamics and the “serious diplomatic efforts undertaken at different levels” could help to move in this direction, he added.