SANA'A: According to local sources in Dammaj, a town in the northern Yemeni province of al-Sa'ada, al-Houthi fighters have agreed to lift their blockade against the Salafists. Al-Houthi, who is group of Shia rebels, has recently reignited an old feud with its ideological nemesis, the Salafists. Salafists are conservative Sunni Muslims who pride themselves in the exercise of a purer form of Islam away from modern interpretations and influences. Both sects are on opposites pole as one believes in following the teachings of Prophet Mohamed and the Qur'an to the letter, the Salafists, while the other, al-Houthi have a different interpretation of the scriptures and differ in their practices of Islam. According to the Salafists the battle started with al-Houthis' desire to extend their territorial control over the northern Yemeni provinces as they are still bent on breaking away from the central government and establish their own Shia state. As far the al-Houthis are concerned it would have been an alleged letter written to by Salafi Imam to Yehia Mohamed Saleh, the Head of the Central Security Forces and nephew to President Ali Abdullah Saleh which would have started it all off as the Imam was calling for a military intervention against the Shia rebels in the region. Both parties continue of course to reject the blame on each other claiming that all they want is peace. On Saturday, the Shia fighters once again allowed food stuffs and other vital supplies to come through their checkpoint at Khaneg. The 7 000 or so souls trapped in Dammaj for 46 long days were glad to finally replenish their pantries. A recent report from the Red Cross had warned the authorities that the population of Dammaj was in dire need for help at it had ran out of food and medical supplies putting their lives in danger. Amongst Yemeni nationals also live in the city foreign nationals who came to Yemen to study in the Salafist school, Dar al Hadeeth. Several human right activists and local residents told the press under cover of anonymity for fear of reprisals that although al-Houthis had announced a lifting of the siege on Dammaj they were requisitioning some of the in-bound cargos sent out by the Red Cross; redistributing the food back to its own militants. However, Mohamed Abd Al-Sallam, a spokesperson for the Houthis in Sa'ada, denied the allegations. “It is untrue that the Houthis took one third of the Red Cross Society's food aid or confiscated any food,” he said. “And the road is open for anyone to go in or out.” Following accusations on Saturday from Salafi students claiming that al-Houthi militants were indeed lying in regards to the situation in Dammaj a delegation from the Yemen opposition National Council visited the area on Saturday, wanting to make an independent assessment. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/qY55G Tags: blockade, Dammaj, Houthi Section: Latest News, Yemen
