State-run media: Yemeni goverment kills 150 rebels

For the past 5 years, Shiite rebels have fought Yemeni forces and struck again earlier today. State-run media, SABA, reported the Yemeni military killed about 150 Shiite rebels earlier in Northwestern Yemen. This happened because the rebels attempted to attack the presidential palace in Saada. No direct comments were given to CNN by the rebels but sources from the media and Yemeni Embassy were successful. The conflicts itself is both separatist and sectarian. The separatists are in charge of the area that the conflict occured in while the sectarians struggle with who is in controll of the area, especially Shiite Islam. The rebels that caused the conflict are in support of Hussein al-Houthi, who no longer lives.

The government got involved not too long ago, however that unfortunately is not in any ones favor because the fighting and bloodshed is only getting worse. Editor-in-chief, Hakim Almasmari told CNN on Saturday that Modammed Abdul Salam that the rebels had come to terms with the governments conditions. However earlier today, he said that 153 rebels were killed in the attack on the palace by the Yemeni military from the air. CNN was told that the Yemeni also had heavy losses and that the rebels had attacked three military checkpoints as well as the palace.

On Friday, Washington was told that the Yemeni military was going to investigate the air strike that killed Yemeni civilians but supposedly was indented for the rebels but that today's strike was intended for the Houthi rebels. UNICEF reported a death toll of 87 while the government officials called it to be 86. The majority of the dead were women and children. CNN however does not have any way to verify these numbers and does not have official comments about the air strike. Navi, Pillay, human rights commissioner of the UN is committed to a investigation done by the government because according to Mohammed Albasha no camps for displaced people was registered in the region of the attack.

The UN and UNICEF are very much troubled by these events. UNICEF has proposed a $23 millions in emergency aid to help displaced children and families in Yemen but has yet to receive any money.

By: Ivana Miljic