SANA’A: Seven people were killed in clashes between army deserters and tribesmen in south Yemen yesterday, officials and residents said, in another sign of disorder in a country of multiple conflicts next to oil export giant Saudi Arabia.
Restoring security in Yemen is a priority for the US and its Gulf allies to contain threats from Al Qaeda militants and separatist tribes to Saudi Arabia and nearby sea lanes where oil tankers pass.
In a separate incident, tribesmen blew up the main Maarib oil pipeline in south Yemen only two weeks after it was repaired, the interior ministry said.
Local officials and residents reported the clash between deserters and tribesmen in the southern province of Al Bayda.
“Dozens of former members of the Republican Guard left their camp and entered Redaa city with their weapons and cars,” one resident said. “They deserted their base and started extorting people before they eventually assaulted a resident,” he said, prompting tribesmen to intervene to try and stop them. A local government official said the soldiers had been demanding additional financial benefits which they said the government had promised them for fighting battles against Al Qaeda militants in Al Bayda.
He said four soldiers and three armed tribesmen were killed in the clashes. In December, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi ordered an overhaul of the military to try and unify ranks split between allies and foes of his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted last year by mass protests but remains influential.
Reuters
