ADEN (Xinhua) – At least 20 people were killed and several others injured in intense clashes between Yemeni tribal fighters in the country’s oil-rich province of Marib, a security official told Xinhua.
Heavy fighting continued between scores of tribal fighters during the past 24 hours, leaving 12 soldiers and eight armed tribesmen killed and several others injured from both sides, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said that heavy fighting broke out as the tribal fighters launched an attack and attempted to capture an oil company in the eastern part of Marib.
The tribal fighters set up checkpoints and blocked main roads linking between key areas in Marib, he said.
“The clashes are still ongoing sporadically and there are mediation efforts conducted by local social figures to end the internal bloody conflict in Marib,” he added.
Local residents said that units of the forces backed by armored vehicles were deployed heavily in Marib as the tribal fighters continued their escalation despite the tribal mediation.
Forces backed by Saudi Arabia control the strategic oil-rich province of Marib and frequently engage in fighting with the Sana’a-based government forces in various areas near the city.
Saudi Arabia launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics support from the U.S. and other Western states.
The objective was to reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and crush the Ansarullah resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government in Yemen.
While the Saudi-led coalition has failed to meet any of its objectives, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.