Sanaa, August 24: Yemen’s military offensive against Zaidi Shia fighters in the north of the country has forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes in the region.
Local residents say government’s operation against Houthi fighters –involving air strikes, artillery and tanks– has disrupted their normal life and made them to flee the region for their lives. They fear being mistaken for enemies by either side.
There are also reports suggesting that some residents of Saada city, who are trapped in the fighting, are paying to be smuggled out.
The fighting has also prevented humanitarian aids from reaching the crisis-hit area.
Yemen’s army and the Houthis have been battling off an on since 2004.
While the Houthis say they are defending themselves against religious oppression, the government says it is fighting an armed insurgency seeking to reinstate imamate rule, which ended in a 1962 coup.
—–Agencies