AMRAN, Feb. 09 (Saba) - A relief convoy granted from UK Department for International Development (DFID) and International Organization of Migration (IOM) for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) arrived in Amran province on Tuesday.

The convoy sent in cooperation with the Family Care Association consists of nine trucks containing foodstuffs, home appliances and health staffs for the IDPs.

The Secretary General of Amran Local Authority Saleh al-Makhlous voiced his appreciation of the relief efforts towards the IDPs in the province.

The IDPs in the province are about 35,000 people, according to al-Makhlous.

While expectation of raising the IDPs number due to the Sa'ada rebellion to 200,000, the UN statistics showed that the sporadic wars Houthi rebels launched against the troops since 2004 have resulted in over 160,000 IDPs.

This is the sixth conflict between the government forces and the rebels in Sa'ada province since it was erupted in 2004.

The wars have claimed thousands of lives of innocent citizens, soldiers and insurgents in Saada province, which is located close to border with Saudi Arabia.

The rebel group was founded by rebel leader Hussein al-Houthi, the eldest brother of the current group leader Abdul-Malik. Hussein was killed by the army in September 2004.

The Yemeni government accuses the Houthi group of trying to reinstall the rule of imams, which was toppled by a republican revolution in northern Yemen in 1962.

AF/AF