Sana#39;a, Yemen — Yemen offered a conditional ceasefire Saturday to the Shiite rebels it is battling in the north after international concern over a deadly airstrike against civilians refugees from the war zones.
Within hours, however, both sides released statements accusing the other of breaking the cease-fire. According to the statements, clashes resumed in the frontline town of Harf Sufyan.
The government offer comes after the U.N. and the U.S. urged a halt in the fighting to allow food supplies and medical aid to reach the tens of thousands of civilians who have fled their homes.
Rebels responded cautiously to the offer, which came right before the Eid al-Fitr holiday ending the fasting month of Ramadan, and told The Associated Press that they would monitor the situation on the ground first.
On Wednesday, government jets bombed a makeshift camp packed with refugees near Harf Sufyan, and witnesses put the death toll at 87, most of them women and children.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an investigation, and the U.S. Embassy in Sana expressed concern over the strikes Friday. Both also urged an end to the fighting, echoing earlier calls by aid agencies.
The government said the cease-fire was in response to the international calls and the approaching holiday. This is the second cease-fire in two weeks; the last one fell apart in a matter of hours.
"The government will cease military operations in the northwestern regions from this point forward," said the statement.
The government has set down five conditions for the end of hostilities, including removing roadblocks, withdrawal of rebel forces, release of detained military personnel and property, and abiding by the constitution and law.
The rebels, however, have insisted on an unconditional cease-fire.
"We welcome the ceasefire offer, we have been seeking an unconditional ceasefire deal for a long time. As for the terms, they should be discussed in a dialogue at a negotiating table," said rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam.
The Shiite tribesmen, led by Abdel-Malek al-Hawthi, have so far refused to hand over their weapons or release any war prisoners. They accuse the government of not fulfilling its obligations under previous agreements, including freeing rebel detainees, paying compensation to victims and rebuilding villages ravaged by fighting.
Yemen's government is embroiled in a five-year conflict with Shiite rebels in the country's north. The rebels complain that their needs are ignored by the government and that the government is increasingly allying with hardline Sunni fundamentalists, some of whom consider Shiites heretics.
Some 150,000 Yemenis have fled their homes since fighting began in 2004, cramming into camps, schools and barns as aid groups struggle to deliver supplies.
Shiites are 30 percent of the population of 22 million. They are Zaydis, members of a Shiite sect that includes the president himself.
Fighting escalated dramatically in early August, when the rebels captured an army post on a strategic highway between the capital and the Saudi border. Fighting has reached to within 75 miles of the capital.
Front Section, Pages 12 on 09/20/2009