An escalation in the ongoing fighting between government forces and followers of the late Sheikh Badr Eddin al-Houthi, a Shi’ite dissident, has led to increasing displacement in the northern province of Saada. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Yemen estimates that between 30,000 and 35,000 people have been forced to flee their homes because of renewed fighting, according to a report by IRIN. The ICRC is providing emergency assistance to approximately 23,000 resident and displaced people. rnClashes in north Yemen have broken out in regular intervals since 2004. Fighting flared up in November 2005 following the breakdown of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s September amnesty towards members of al-Houthi’s militia, and in February 2006, several thousand people were displaced in similar armed clashes and air raids. Meanwhile, members of the tiny Jewish community living in the Northern province have been threatened by the local Houthi group causing them to flee their village. This group have been subsequently evacuated by the Yemeni government to the capital. rnrnAccess and delivery of assistance to displaced people is extremely difficult in this secluded and mountainous area, and there may be security concerns for humanitarian workers in the area. On 2 May, an ICRC and Yemeni Red Crescent convoy carrying relief supplies for displaced families was attacked for motives as yet unknown. rnrnhttp://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004CE90B/(httpCountries)/7DD1A5086D64EAF0C12572DD00482DA4?OpenDocument

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