DUBAI — A deadly assault by Shiite Houthi rebels on a Salafi Islamic school planted in their mountain heartland could ignite wider sectarian conflict in Yemen, where instability has already helped Al Qaeda militants to take root. The Houthis, who belong to the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam, have bombarded the sprawling Dar Al-Hadith seminary in Dammaj village for two weeks, killing at least 100 people. Recently, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP) pledged revenge for the assault. Political rivalries may have helped to start the violence. Zaydis have for years been alarmed by young Sunnis flocking to Dar Al-Hadith, in the northern province of Saada. Houthi militants, whose rebellion is fueled by the accumulated grievances of many Zaydis, dominate Saada after fighting government forces on and off for nearly a decade. They are against Dar Al-Hadith, proclaiming on Oct. 30 that the Salafis had “turned Dammaj into a launchpad for their criminal actions and a training center (for) thousands of armed foreign elements from more than 120 countries”. Dar Al-Hadith's leaders, who deny any such activities, have condemned Al Qaeda, but some militants, including the “American Taliban”, John Walker Lindh, have been through the school. The Dammaj fighting is one of many crises besetting Yemen, where state failure could further empower an Al Qaeda wing that has targeted Western ships and airliners in the past. Yemen's best hope may lie in national reconciliation talks begun in March to draft a new constitution and defuse threats from Houthis, southern secessionists and Islamist insurgents. That effort followed the negotiated removal of veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh after mass protests against his rule that began even before a wave of Arab revolts in 2011. Under the deal, interim President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi must hold elections next year and try to reach a workable compromise among Yemen's myriad tribal and political factions. The Houthis' onslaught on Dammaj may be a gambit to strengthen their bargaining power before any such deal. “We are coming to the conclusion of the dialogue and each party is trying to consolidate its presence on the ground,” said Yemeni analyst Abdul-Ghani Al-Iryani. “Dammaj is deep in Zaydi territory. The Houthis are trying to capture it militarily.” Houthi-Salafi strife could further poison the once-relaxed relations between Shiites and Sunnis in Yemen, feelings heated by the sectarian hatred that now imbues Syria's civil struggle. “Yemenis don't hate each other for sectarian reasons,” Iryani said. “But that does not preclude this outcome, down the line, if this crisis is not fixed quickly.” Saleh, the former president, exploited sectarian sentiments during his successive wars with the Houthis, according to Ibrahim Sharqieh, a Yemen expert at Doha Brookings think-tank. “This conflict did not start last week,” he said. — Reuters
