An uneasy calm returned to Sanaa on Monday (August 28th) as talks were underway between ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces and the Houthis (Ansarallah) following unprecedented violence between the two allies, AFP reported.
Cracks have emerged in the anti-government alliance between Saleh and Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, with tensions spilling over into the streets at the weekend when a colonel with Saleh's forces and two Houthis were killed in a shootout.
Witnesses and a military source in Sanaa, which is jointly controlled by the alliance, said armed Houthis and forces loyal to the ex-president have slowly begun to withdraw from the streets, after a heavy deployment following a dispute that led to Saturday's shootout.
A security source, declining to be named, said a mediation committee had been set up to try to restore ties between the two forces.
Saleh's forces are demanding the Houthis hand over the person behind the killing of Col. Khaled al-Rida, according to the source.
