Yemen Houthi movement, Salafist Islah party sign deal: Report

The deal, brokered by Jamal Benomar, a UN envoy in Yemen, and representatives from the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), was reached on Friday, the London-based daily al-Sharq al-Awsat reported on Saturday.

Based on the deal, the two sides agreed to stop fighting, make an effort to resolve disputes, and release prisoners.

Both sides also agreed to maintain communication, build confidence, and achieve cooperation and coexistence.

The agreement was signed following a meeting between a delegation of top leaders of Islah party and the leader of the Houthi movement.

The Islah party issued a statement on Friday, saying, its top representatives met with Sheikh Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Thursday in a bid to settle differences between the two sides.

The meeting was held after a recent clash between the Houthi movement’s Ansarullah fighters and members of the Salafist Islah party in the capital Sana'a.

The battle in the north of Sana’a set Houthi fighters against the guards of Sam Yahya al-Ahmar, the head of Islah party.

Al-Ahmar was the deputy culture minister before the Yemeni revolution began in 2011 and is currently serving as the leader of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, commonly known as Islah.

The group has lost much of its political and physical power since Ansarullah fighters began gaining ground against al-Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen.

HK