United Nations Announces Deal to 'Resolve' Yemen Crisis

Sanaa, Yemen: The UN envoy to Yemen announced Saturday that an accord had been reached to "resolve the current crisis" after a week of deadly fighting between Shiite rebels and pro-government forces.

Jamal Benomar's announcement came hours after the government imposed a curfew in parts of the capital because of the intensity of the fighting, which has left dozens dead as the rebels demand political change.

The combat prompted both a suspension of international flights to Sanaa and an interruption of broadcasts by state television for the second straight day.

Forces allied to the government have been battling to halt the rebels, who swept into Sanaa from their mountain stronghold in the northwest weeks ago and set up protest camps to press their demands.

Benomar said in a statement that the deal came after "intense consultations with all the political parties, including (rebels) Ansarullah, to resolve the current crisis based on the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference".

The statement, which did not provide details, added that preparations were under way to sign the agreement.

He said the accord will be a "national document that will advance the path of peaceful change, and will lay the foundations for national partnership and for security and stability in the country".

He said he regretted the continuing bloodshed and reiterated that the "time has now come to overcome narrow interests and that the higher national interest should prevail".


Curfew in four districts

Earlier, as fighting raged, a security committee chaired by President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi decreed a curfew from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am (1800-0300 GMT) in Sanaa's northwestern districts of Shamlan, Al-Madhbah, Thabat and Balaa.

That followed an announcement from an airport source that the suspension of incoming and outgoing international flights was continuing for a second day.

Yemen has been swept by political turmoil since the 2012 ouster of autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The rebels hail from the Zaidi Shiite community, a minority in the mostly Sunni nation, and are believed to be trying to establish themselves as the main political force in the region.

Also known as Huthis or Ansarullah, they have battled the government for years from their heartland of Saada, complaining of marginalisation.

Yemen, an important US ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda, has been under pressure on several fronts in recent years, including from militant attacks and demands in the south for independence.

Hadi has called the rebel offensive a "coup attempt" as he received ambassadors from the countries that helped to foster the political agreement that ended Saleh's rule.

Yemeni media said he saw proof of this in the targeting of the headquarters of the state broadcaster.

There was fierce fighting in northern Sanaa on Saturday morning, and attacks resumed on the TV headquarters.


Broadcasters appeal for help

Presenters said the facility had come under heavy gunfire and pleaded for the authorities to send forces to their aid. They said a number of employees had been wounded and that rebels were preventing medics from evacuating them.

Witnesses said part of the building was on fire.

Eventually, broadcasting resumed from another location.

Meanwhile, medics also said three civilians were killed in a bombardment of the main road in the area, near the Iman University that rebels tried to seize from fighters of the Sunni Islah (Reform) party.

And a hospital was hit by shellfire that killed one person and wounded three, a hospital worker said.

The rest of the city was quiet, with many businesses closed and little traffic on the roads.

Rebels fired several shells at the former headquarters of the first armoured division, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

And the nearby Sanaa University told students to stay on holiday until mid-October after its campus was also hit by artillery.

The education ministry ordered schools to suspend lessons indefinitely.

One of the capital's main markets, the Ali Mohsen Souk, has been closed for three days, which residents said has started to cause problems in obtaining fruit and vegetables.

Hadi has already agreed to involve the rebels in the formation of a new government to replace the unpopular administration that imposed austerity measures, including a fuel price hike, earlier this year.

But the rebels are also demanding posts in key state institutions as part of a push for greater political clout.