Houthi Attacks in Taiz Undermine Yemen Truce

A displaced Yemeni passes makeshift shelters at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, 29 April 2022. (EPA)
A displaced Yemeni passes makeshift shelters at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, 29 April 2022. (EPA)
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Houthi Attacks in Taiz Undermine Yemen Truce

A displaced Yemeni passes makeshift shelters at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, 29 April 2022. (EPA)
A displaced Yemeni passes makeshift shelters at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, 29 April 2022. (EPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias carried out on Wednesday attacks in the Taiz province in a move that undermines the two-month nationwide truce.

The Houthis shelled Taiz neighborhoods and launched attacks using armed drones, drawing government condemnation and warnings that the UN-sponsored truce was at risk.

Witnesses said a drone attack in eastern Taiz city left at least 10 people wounded and caused panic among locals, who were celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The shelling targeted a police building in the city.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak slammed the attacks as a "flagrant violation of international and humanitarian laws and the UN truce."

In a tweet, he warned the Houthis against squandering the opportunity for peace presented by the truce, saying they will be held accountable if it failed.

Wednesday's attack sparked outrage among the people because it targeted civilian locations. The attack struck areas that are located close to a local park, cancer patients hospital, sports club and university faculty.

The Mayyun rights organization condemned the deadly attack that it said was carried out by armed drones and targeted a busy street.

It warned that the truce was being threatened by the Houthis' "blatant violation".

It noted that this was not the first violation to take place in Taiz, saying the Houthis had carried out mortar attacks against neighborhoods, leaving civilian casualties.

The latest attack raised questions about the Houthis' commitment to the truce, added the organization.

It underlined the need for the UN to maintain its firm efforts with the Houthis, warning the militia leaders of the humanitarian consequences should they lead to the truce' failure.



Sudan Army Says Recaptures Key State Capital

Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP
Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP
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Sudan Army Says Recaptures Key State Capital

Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP
Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP

The Sudanese army said Saturday it had retaken a key state capital south of Khartoum from rival Rapid Support Forces who had held it for the past five months.

The Sennar state capital of Sinja is a strategic prize in the 19-month-old war between the regular army and the RSF as it lies on a key road linking army-controlled areas of eastern and central Sudan.

It posted footage on social media that it said had been filmed inside the main base in the city.

"Sinja has returned to the embrace of the nation," the information minister of the army-backed government, Khaled al-Aiser, said in a statement.

Aiser's office said armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had travelled to the city of Sennar, 60 kilometres (40 miles) to the north, on Saturday to "inspect the operation and celebrate the liberation of Sinja", AFP reported.

The RSF had taken the two cities in a lightning offensive in June that saw nearly 726,000 civilians flee, according to UN figures.

Human rights groups have said that those who were unwilling or unable to leave have faced months of arbitrary violence by RSF fighters.

Sinja teacher Abdullah al-Hassan spoke of his "indescribable joy" at seeing the army enter the city after "months of terror".

"At any moment, you were waiting for militia fighters to barge in and beat you or loot you," the 53-year-old told AFP by telephone.

Both sides in the Sudanese conflict have been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminately shelling homes, markets and hospitals.

The RSF has also been accused of summary executions, systematic sexual violence and rampant looting.

The RSF control nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur as well as large swathes of Kordofan in the south. They also hold much of the capital Khartoum and the key farming state of Al-Jazira to its south.

Since April 2023, the war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 11 million -- creating what the UN says is the world's largest displacement crisis.

From the eastern state of Gedaref -- where more than 1.1 million displaced people have sought refuge -- Asia Khedr, 46, said she hoped her family's ordeal might soon be at an end.

"We'll finally go home and say goodbye to this life of displacement and suffering," she told AFP.