Sana’a: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned yesterday that Yemen was falling apart and called for action, as Al Qaeda fighters overran an army camp and seized heavy weaponry.
Ban was reporting to the 15-member Security Council after talks with Gulf officials on “preventing civil war in Yemen”. “Let me be clear: Yemen is collapsing before our eyes. We cannot stand by and watch,” he said.
Yemen has descended into chaos since Shia militias, known as Houthis, seized Sana’a in September and ousted the government last week.
Seven people died in clashes as fighters from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) seized the camp of the 19th Infantry Brigade in Baihan, in southern Shabwa province, and captured a large quantity of armour and heavy weaponry. They took “30 tanks, 90 military vehicles, 25 armoured vehicles and 28 artillery pieces,” a military official said. AQAP confirmed it had seized the camp, accusing troops there of links with the Huthis. It said the soldiers had surrendered and six were released following tribal mediation.
Meanwhile, vehicles used to evacuate US embassy staff were seized by Houthis at Sana’a airport yesterday after the US withdrawal the previous day.
Agencies
