The Yemeni government accused rebels in the north of the country on Sunday of not complying with the truce agreed in February, Yemen's official news agency said. The government reached a truce with the Houthis to halt sporadic fighting that has displaced 350,000 people since 2005. “Despite the halting of military operations more than four months ago and the Houthis committing to the truce, they have been avoiding the full implementation of the six terms...” an official overseeing the truce told Saba News. The official called on the Houthis to stop procrastinating and commit themselves to the agreed terms of the truce. On Sunday, rebels fired on government troops sent to quell fighting between the rebels and pro-government tribes, a government official said. The Sana'a government sent troops to the area on Sunday to restore calm. Rebels said gunfire erupted when the contingent of several hundred soldiers turned out to be much larger than the several dozen they had expected. “Troops were sent to Al-Amshia to secure the Sana'a-Sa'ada road, but the Houthis prevented their arrival and opened fire in their direction,” a provincial official said. Sana'a says the rebels are delaying implementing terms of the truce. “Despite the halting of military operations ... and the Houthis committing to the truce, they have been avoiding the full implementation,” an official, who is part of a committee overseeing the truce, told the state news agency SABA. SABA added that the truce committee remained committed to achieving peace in the north, where last month Yemen accused rebels of killing a government soldier.
