ABYAN (Debriefer)--Uneasy calm prevailed in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Sunday after overnight clashes between forces of the government and the UAE-backed southern transitional council.
The two sides exchanged heavy fire along the contact lines in the areas of Al-Tariyah and Al-Sheikh Salim near the capital city Zinjibar, said Mohammed Al-Marqashi, member of a mediation committee overseeing a ceasefire in the province.
Explosions were heard across Zinjibar, he said, pointing out that traffic movement between the town of Shaqrah and Zinjibar resumed after it had stopped for hours due to the clashes.
A government army official said the violence started after the government forces responded to attacks by STC fighters on their positions in Al-Tariyah.
In July, a Saudi-led coalition fighting in the country announced a mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh agreement which was signed by the two sides in late 2019.
The mechanism included provisions for rescinding the STC declaration of self-rule in the south, forming a power-sharing government, ceasing hostilities and pulling forces out of main cities.
