Sectarian clashes kill scores in northern Yemen

Five days of violence between rival Shia and Sunni Muslim groups in a northern town in Yemen has killed at least 100 people, a spokesman for one of the groups said Monday.

Clashes broke out on Wednesday when Houthi fighters, a Shia group who control much of Saada province on the border with Saudi Arabia, accused Salafi rivals, who are Sunni, in Damaj of taking in thousands of foreign fighters to prepare to attack them.

The Salafis say the foreigners are religious students who traveled from abroad to study Islamic theology at Dar Al-Hadith, a mosque established in the 1980s.

Surour al-Wadi'i, a Salafi spokesman, said the death toll, which according to a Reuters count had reached 58 on Sunday, had risen sharply after heavy shelling on Damaj overnight.

"There were massive Houthi attacks throughout the night against Dar Al-Hadith academy and student dormitories," Wadi'i said.

The figure of 100 deaths only accounts for Sunni Muslims whom may have been killed in the clashes. The Houthis have not yet released figures of their casualties.

Wadi'i said a Red Cross delegation managed to enter Damaj on Monday in a convoy of four vehicles, only to come under fire from Houthi snipers who shot and killed a local translator. The Red Cross had tried to enter the area several times over the weekend only to be turned away.

"We deplore the lack of access to Dammaj, where the number of wounded people in need of evacuation is growing," said Cedric Schweizer, the Red Cross director in Sanaa. "We are particularly concerned about people who need emergency assistance. We appeal for a halt to the violence and for immediate and unconditional access, so that we can evacuate the wounded and deliver much-needed medical assistance."

Saada province is the base for a long-running Houthi rebellion against the government.

The Houthis blockaded Damaj for weeks last year, accusing the Salafis of stockpiling weapons, a charge they deny.

Complaining of social, religious and economic discrimination in Yemen, the Houthis fought several battles with government forces between 2004 and 2010, when a truce was announced. Saudi Arabia was drawn briefly into the conflict in 2010 when rebels crossed into its territory.

Al Jazeera and wire services