22 Dec, 2009, Yemen

The Rebels in northern Yemen say that at least 54 people have been killed in an air strike by the Saudi Arabian planes. The Reports of the attack on Sunday came from a rebel spokesman and could not be verified immediately. Previous week the rebels accused Saudi Arabia of killing 70 civilians in an air strike at the border area between the two countries.

The Yemeni government and Saudi Arabian forces have been fighting the rebels, called Houthis, since August. The rebels frequently accuse Saudi Arabia of carrying out air raids on the Yemeni territory, a claim that the both governments deny. But Saudi forces have fought many skirmishes against these rebels, who crossed over the border into Saudi Arabia in November, and shelled border areas.

The Houthis say that the Saudis are helping the Yemeni government to suppress their demand for a greater local autonomy. They also say that they are trying to reverse the political, economic as well as religious marginalization of the Zaydi Shia community in Yemen. This community is a minority in Yemen, but make up the majority in the north of the country. The insurgents are fighting the government since the year 2004.

The government has launched a fresh offensive in August 2009, which precipitated a new wave of intense fighting. It accuses the Houthis who want to re-establish Zaydi clerical rule, which ended in 1962.