Tens of schools in the war-torn Yemen have been razed to the ground in the ongoing violence while many more were being utilized by Houthi rebels and militias loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as shelters and arms and ammunition depots. The occupation of schools by fighters has prevented thousands of students from attending classes since the conflict broke out eight months ago.
Houthi rebels expanded their military operation from Sada up to the capital Sanaa last year by launching the "March of explosion", under which they targeted schools in Amran, Hajjah, Al Jawf governorates, and later several campuses in the governorates of Al Baydah, Marib, Taiz, Lahjj, Al Dhaliah and Aden.
Various monitoring groups have recorded grave violations of laws and crimes perpetuated by the Houthis and pro-Saleh forces, who they said, intentionally used schools and other buildings for storing arms and ammunition.
The Relief Coalition in Taiz said more than 250 civilian and government buildings including schools were destroyed by Houthi rebels by shelling them or using them as shelters for their fighters and arms depots, which made them a target of the Arab coalition's jet strikes.
In Al Khatwa district, a part of Haifan directorate - 40km south of Taiz - Houthi rebels deliberately used the oldest technical institute in the area as arms depot and hideout for its fighters, which made it vulnerable to the coalition air strikes.
In Tibn directorate at Lahjj governorate people protested against the shutdown of schools after they suffered heavy damages in the shelling before it was liberated in September.
In Al Tahrir, which lies in the proximity of the capital Sanaa, residents objected to the attempts of Houthi rebels to store arms and weapons in schools of the directorate. The area was vital for the rebels as they had been on the run in the wake of air strikes by the Arab coalition.
An informed source told Khaleej Times that though the Houthis and pro-Saleh militia knew the peace talks agenda in advance, they deliberately sidestepped the issues tabled for discussion to avoid any accord that could be binding to the two parties.
"Houthi militia and pro-Saleh forces tried to tamper with the talks by ostensibly showing that they differ on the main points of discussion just to disturb the negotiations and buy more time," the source said.
Militias, on the one hand, gave an impression to the observers that their views were different, but on the other, they were in complete accord in directing their arms against the unarmed Yemeni people.
The source said the recently held talks in Switzerland had shown to the world by and large the extreme criminal intransigence of the Houthi rebels who rejected any proposal to end the crisis and enable the Yemeni people to live in a peaceful, stable environment.
The source said those who refused to discuss the humanitarian situation and prevented aid from reaching the needy people cannot be described as peace loving and supporter of peaceful solutions.
Abdul Malek Al Mekhlafi, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Yemen, said the Houthis and Saleh militias hampered the progress of any peace process and started a new controversy by using arms and missiles against civilians, especially in Taiz where they also violated the ceasefire.
Addressing a ministerial level meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on Thursday, Al Mekhlafi stressed that his country faced an intervention and a coup against the legitimacy, national reconciliation, political references on which the political settlement and the GCC initiative as well as the outcome of the national dialogue were based.
"The government delegation heading for Geneva for talks and dialogue with the other party was an effort of the government to build trust and return to the political track and complete the interim phase which Yemen had taken a long way back, and reached drafting a constitution, which the rebels had overturned, talking back the country to square one," he said.
Al Mekhlafi briefed the meeting on the latest situation in his country and the efforts being made to overcome the challenges and political and humanitarian difficulties.
"The Iranian intervention in the internal affairs of Yemen has immensely contributed to impede the efforts on political settlement," he added.
Yemeni sources said the government is not likely to attend the second round of talks scheduled for January 14 due to the escalation of war by Houthi rebels and after a call by their leader Abdel Malek Al Houthi to his supporters who told them not to pin hopes on the United Nations which was trying to arrange a political settlement to resolve the conflict.
Informed sources said the Houthi leader attacking the UN confirmed he is disavowed of the peace course.
Houthi rebels and Saleh's militias in the meanwhile continued their crimes against the unarmed Yemeni civilians by shelling the houses with women, children and elderly inside, ignoring the basic humanitarian manners and law which call for protecting the civilians. They used civilians as human shields and sending out false messages to the international community.
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