Yemeni government called for pressure to end Houthi attacks in Taiz
The official Saba news agency related that Yemen’s internationally recognized government appealed for making pressure to stop the Houthi offensive and siege on many villages in the southern province of Taiz.
During a phone call with the Taiz governor, Nabil Shamsan, Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik Saeed said that Houthi crimes against civilians would be expired by the statute of limitations, and he promised to bring the Houthis to justice.
Malik requested the international community to denounce the assaults against civilians in Taiz and other areas across Yemen. His comments came when local government officials and activists stated, on Sunday, that civilian deaths from the ongoing attack on Haima village in Taiz had increased to 12.
A Yemeni army spokesperson in Taiz city, Col. Abdul Basit Al-Baher, related that the Houthis had moved on their Haima offensive for the fifth day, which causing the death of 12, injuring 30 and attacking 63 houses. He also informed Arab News that the Houthis had launched a hysterical assault on Haima. He also said that they have stormed more than 20 homes, taken 50 civilians as hostage and shelled the villages with heavy weapons. They are committing a cleansing against residents, adding that Farmers and other laborers had stayed indoors to avoid Houthi shells and checkpoints.
On Sunday, Houthi media and affiliate accounts on social media reported that the military attacks on Haima ended after clearing the villages of criminals and terrorists. However, Yemeni army officials stated that besides to seizing military officers loyal to the government, the Houthis had launched an attack on Haima to suppress a residents rebellion who rejected to pay taxes and allow the group to create military bases on their agricultural land.
Al-Baher also related that the Houthis cruelly assaulted the villages to be a lesson to other Yemeni areas that might think of challenging their rule.
On his part, Yemen’s Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Muammar Al-Aryani accused the Houthis of launching a barbaric bombardment on residential areas in Haima, condemning civilians and maltreating their bodies.
He said in Tweeter that the Houthi militia is committing these crimes and violations that are more horrific than those committed by terrorist groups under the nose of deafeningly silent international community and human rights organizations.
Furtehrmore, Yemeni military experts appealed for increasing army operations against the Houthis in Taiz and other areas under their control.
Otheriwse, Military analyst Brig. Yahyia Abu Hatem indicated on Sunday that the Yemeni army and allied forces should advance on areas under Houthi control in Taiz to support residents who revolted against the militia, he said in a tweet that the (army) troops must move in Taiz to completely liberate the province, rescuing Haima and weaken (military) capabilities of the Houthi militia.
On Sunday, Yemen’s new government and during its second meeting in Aden, which is the country’s interim capital, repeated its commitments to end the Houthi coup, reestablish state bodies and apply reforms to reinforce the economy and fight corruption, in what Saba related.
