Six killed in fighting between government-aligned factions in Yemen

Yemeni officials say clashes which erupted in Taiz between a UAE-backed faction and a Muslim Brotherhood-aligned group have left six people dead.
1 min read
23 March, 2019
An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen since March 2015 [AFP]

Yemeni officials say heavy street battles among armed Islamist factions aligned with the exiled government have left at least six people dead and families displaced.

They said on Saturday that the clashes, which erupted in Taiz a day earlier, saw a faction financed and armed by the United Arab Emirates and led by Salafi commander Aboul Abbas, confront other factions affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood group in Yemen - the Islah party - which is loyal to Yemeni president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief media.

The violence in Taiz underscores the deep divisions marring allies in Yemen's war which pits the internationally recognised government backed by a Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen since March 2015, when a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen's war to reinstate the authority of President Hadi's government.