Sanaa Schools Shut Their Doors On Rampant Violence

Yemen's Education Ministry on Saturday announced the temporary suspension of study at all schools in the capital Sanaa on the background of ongoing clashes between the army and Shiite Houthi militants.



It said the decision boiled down to its keenness on the safety of both students and teachers at these schools.



"We have decided to suspend study at all schools in Sanaa because ongoing clashes and for the safety of the students and the teachers," Yemeni Education Minister Abdel-Razik al-Ashwal said in statements to the press.



He said Sanaa's schools would reopen their doors for their students yet again when the security situation in the Yemeni capital settles down and tensions come to an end.



The new academic year started across Yemen two weeks ago. The University of Sanaa decided to suspend its educational activities earlier because of the clashes.



Thousands of Houthis have escalated their protests against the government of Prime Minister Mohamed Basindawa by setting up protest camps outside several ministries and government offices in Sanaa.



The move came in response to calls by their top leader to escalate their protests until Basindawa's government is sacked and a recent decision to lift fuel subsidies is reversed.



In late July, the government raised petrol prices by 75 percent and diesel fuel by 90 percent in an effort to ease pressures on the state budget.



Many Yemenis believe the Shia group, which takes the northern Saada province as its main base of operations, wants to reinstate Yemen's pre-1962 monarchy in the country's north.



First appearing in 1992, the group has engaged in several rounds of fighting with the army, leaving thousands dead on both sides.



By Mohamed al-Shubairi



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