Al-Bayda (South24)

Continuing with their atrocities on the people, the Houthi militia have imposed an armed siege, complete with tanks, armored vehicles, and dozens of militants, on the village of Hamat Sarar in the Wald Rabi district of Al-Bayda Governorate, North Yemen, since yesterday (Aug 9), a local source told 'South24 Center' today.

The source said that the Houthis’ armed siege is to force the villagers to hand over tribal gunmen who the militia accuse of killing four of their members last Wednesday (Aug 7).

The source reported that the Houthis are threatening to storm the village using tanks and drones if the villagers do not respond to their demands.

According to the source, two villagers riding a motorcycle were killed at a Houthi security checkpoint, which angered the residents who then clashed with the militia members and killed four of them.

Local media outlets circulated a statement attributed to Yemeni civil society organizations calling for urgent international intervention to prevent a massacre in the village.

Last March, Houthi gunmen had blown up houses with their residents inside in the city of Rada’a, the capital of Al-Bayda, killing 15 people and wounding around 30 others, including children and women, according to press sources.

Since taking control of Sanaa and large areas in North Yemen in 2015, the Houthis have been using excessive force to suppress tribal people who are opposed to them.

The latest development comes even as Chairman of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al Mashat, on Saturday issued a presidential decree assigning Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahwi to form a new government in Sanaa, “the government of change and construction”.