Amnesty International Calls on Houthis to Release Civilians Detained for Celebrating National Revolution
Amnesty International called on the Ansar Allah (Houthi) authorities to immediately release detainees who were arrested in recent protests in Sanaa while celebrating the 61 anniversary of 26 September Revolution. The organization called on Houthi authorities to release all detained protesters immediately and without condition, as they were exercising their right to freedom of assembly. The statement of Amnesty International said, "It is disgraceful that protesters commemorating a historic national moment find themselves under attack, detained, and facing charges simply for waving flags." The Houthis, who took military control of Yemen in late 2014, have detained several Yemeni politicians, activists, journalists, and members of the general public and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
On Friday, the national army in Taiz said a Houthi infiltration attempt was repelled in the northeast of Taiz city. The Media Center of the Taiz Front reported that the army forces had thwarted a Houthi attempted advance towards army positions in the Al-Kamb area of Taiz. On Thursday, a similar Houthi attack was also repelled in Al-Misrakh district, south of Taiz City. Taiz has been divided between the Houthi group and pro-government forces since 2015 when the civil war broke out in Yemen.
Four unnamed executive officials from Yemeni Airlines informed Reuters that the company will suspend its only international commercial flight from the Yemeni capital to Jordan in response to the Houthi group's administration preventing the company from withdrawing its funds from banks in Sanaa. The company, the national carrier in the country, added that it will halt six weekly flights to Jordan in October following failed negotiations with the Houthi group regarding releasing the company's funds, which amounts to $80 million. The sources stated that the company proposed that the Houthi government receive 70% of the funds, while the remaining 30%, recognized internationally, goes to the legitimate government. However, the Houthi authorities rejected this proposal.
Armed tribal clashes broke out on Saturday hours between two tribes in the Lower Markha District of Shabwa province. The clashes between the two tribes renewed after the withdrawal of the military force that had been present in the region over the past few days. The two sides used various weapons, including heavy ones, and disrupted the main road between Markha and Bayhan districts in Shabwa province. The southern separatists took over Shabwa last year, plunging the province into chaos and recurring armed clashes.
An emergency immunization campaign against measles and German measles began Saturday in Marib province, according to the state-run Saba News Agency. The six-day campaign targets more than 93,000 children aged between six and five years with the measles and German measles vaccine.
