Govt, armed tribesmen agree on ceasefire

Govt, armed tribesmen agree on ceasefire

Yemeni government and armed tribesmen, led by the opposition tribal chieftain Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, have reached a temporary truce to end pitched battles in the capital where at least 127 people have been killed, Xinhua quoted tribal mediators as saying. The agreement includes the hand-over of gove

rnment buildings occupied by the armed tribesmen during the conflicts to the mediators, who would later hand them over to the government. The deal stated to end all forms of military presence and to normalise the situation in the war-torn areas, according to opposition's media.
The deal also stipulated that the government forces should not attack Al-Ahmar's house again, the mediators said.
However, some witnesses claimed, despite the ceasefire, sporadic, heavy shoot-outs were still heard in the area late Saturday.
The street fighting erupted Monday between government forces and armed tribal guards of Al-Ahmar, the leader of the powerful Hashed tribes' confederation.
The gunbattles, in which Al-Ahmar's fighters took over several government buildings, occurred in Hassaba district in downtown Sana'a, a day after Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a deal to ease him out of power within a month.