Islam Times - Fighting Rages in Sanaa despite UN Talk of ‘Unity Deal’

Islam Times - Fighting raged in the Yemeni capital on Sunday despite an announcement by the UN envoy that pro-government forces and Houthi fighters were poised to sign a deal.

The shelling and gunfire in the north of Sanaa was heard across the capital, as Al-Qaeda militiamen battled the fighters prompting an exodus of terrified residents, an AFP correspondent reported.

A week of fighting between the two sides has left dozen of people dead and forced the suspension of all flights into or out of Sanaa airport, which lies within the battle zone.

There was no let-up in the fighting during the night despite an after-dark curfew ordered by President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi. The fighting centered on the campus of Al-Iman University.

It came despite the announcement by UN envoy Jamal Benomar late on Saturday that a deal had been reached after "intense consultations with all the political parties, including (rebel movement) Ansarullah."

Benomar did not specifically mention a ceasefire nor did he say when the deal would be signed, although he said preparations were under way for the signing. He said the accord will be a "national document that will advance the path of peaceful change, and will lay the foundations for national partnership and for security and stability in the country".

He said he regretted the continuing bloodshed and reiterated that the "time has now come to overcome narrow interests and that the higher national interest should prevail".