The Yemeni government has announced suspension of the military operations against the Houthi rebels in north Yemen, official news agency SABA reported on Friday.
The suspension is to start at 9 p.m. local time (1800GMT) Friday in Saada and some parts of Amran in north Yemen, SABA quoted a security source as saying.
The move aims at allowing in aid for the war-affected people, following calls of relief organizations and commitment of the rebels that they will stop carrying out destructive acts and fighting the troops, the people and their properties.
The rebels also issued a statement, vowing to eliminate " landmines, explosives and barriers" and "halt attacks on the armed forces."
The decision of Yemeni government came one day after the Red Cross said it has registered more than 25,000 people displaced in the northern provinces of Saada and Amran in fighting that flared up last month.
The clashes between Yemen government and Houthi rebels have lasted for months, leaving heavy casualties among both sides.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has vowed to send more military reinforcements to the areas of fighting, voicing a clear governmental insistence on making victory over rebellion.
Meanwhile, the rebels passed to media videos showing military equipment they said have been seized from the governmental troops. The militants appeared on TV screens chanting slogans against the local government, the U.S. and Israel.
The Supreme Security Committee in Yemen said on Aug. 27 the military operations in Saada would continue until the rebel group responds to the peace initiative offered by President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
On Aug. 13, Saleh set conditions for ending fight against Houthi rebels in northern Yemen, including withdrawal of their fighters from all the areas they had occupied in Saada, stopping sabotage, releasing kidnapped foreigners, locals and stopping interference in local administrative affairs.
(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2009)
