Yemen: France evacuates 44, as pro-government forces announce progress

Yemen: France evacuates 44, as pro-government forces announce progress
By Sarah Taylor with AFP, Reuters
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button

In Yemen: France evacuates 44 people from Balhaf, as the Saudi-led coalition announces progress in the fight against Houthi rebels in Aden.

ADVERTISEMENT

The French army has evacuated 44 people of different nationalities from Balhaf, in the south of Yemen. Currently on board the Dixmude liner, they are expected to dock in Djibouti in the coming days, according to a statement from the French Interior Ministry.

Yémen : Le Dixmude évacue 44 personnes de Balhaf : https://t.co/0jRKGQYe6f. OPEX marine nationale.

— Gerard Dal' Lin (@GERARD3873) April 4, 2015

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition and forces loyal to Yemen’s President Hadi appear to be pushing Shia Houthi rebels out of Aden.

Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, spokesman for Saudi-led coalition, gave a press conference from Riyadh.

“Aden as a city is under control of the committees, he said. “The militias and their allies are still in some parts of the city. The logistic support that we provide – the coalition to the Popular Committees – is substantial and aids them to change the situation on the ground.”

The move marks a setback for the militants, who had been making advances in Yemen’s second city, which is also a powerbase for Hadi.

Days of Saudi-led airstrikes on Aden by a coalition of Sunni-Muslim states, mark Riyadh’s most aggressive move yet to counter Houthi advances in the region.

The military setback for the Iranian-backed Shi’ite militants came as Yemen’s department of health announced 185 people had died in Aden – 75 percent of them civilians – in nine days of fighting from March 26, 2015.

Some 1,282 are said to have been hospitalised with injuries.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for a 24-hour ceasefire in Yemen, to allow aid to reach those who need it.

We call for urgent 24-hour pause in all fighting #Yemen. Aid must get in fast http://t.co/p6BTyFgFdh

— ICRC (@ICRC) April 4, 2015

Authorities, including the United Nations believe the country is on the brink of civil war.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

Casualties rise in Aden clashes as Saudi-led coalition pushes back Houthis

Yemen: Suspected al-Qaeda militants liberate inmates of Mukalla prison

Yemen lumbers toward civil war with increasing Saudi and Iranian influence