Yemen’s prime minister has resigned as fighting between pro-government forces and Shiite opposition fighters continued in the capital of Sana’a on Sunday.
Mohamed Basindawa stepped down amid nearly a week of intense clashes in the city.
Military and Shiite Houthi rebels faced off near a school in northern Sana’a overnight, despite an announcement by the U.N. envoy Saturday that pro-government forces and Shiite rebels would sign a peace deal.
Video showed a plume of thick black smoke rising into clear skies near the religious Iman University in the capital after a night of shelling. The Sunni school has become a flashpoint in the armed struggle by Houthi forces, who for years have demanded greater political participation.
Fighting in the capital intensified last week. But by late Saturday, U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar said the two sides would ink a deal on Sunday for a national unity government that would include the Houthis.
Benomar spoke shortly after a government security council imposed a curfew on parts of the capital, Sana’a, where Houthi rebels said they had taken over the state television building.
Some information from the report was provided by AFP.
