At least 21 people were killed in weekend clashes between Shia rebels and pro-government tribesmen in the north of Yemen, tribal sources said Sunday. The fighting comes as the Zaidi Shia rebels, also known as Huthis or Ansarullah, have been pressing for the government to step down and its fuel price hikes to be scrapped.
The clashes have rocked the Majzar region straddling the northern province of Al-Jawf and Marib, southeast of Sanaa, since Friday night, the tribal sources said.
The pro-government tribes are trying to "stop the rebels from advancing on Sanaa," a tribal chief told AFP. He said, on condition of anonymity, that Ansarullah fighters are trying to capture the Marib-Sanaa road, a key supply route for fuel destined for Sanaa.