ADEN, Yemen, June 13 (Xinhua) - A vital road linking the cities of Taiz and Sanaa reopened on Thursday after being closed for nearly a decade due to Yemen's ongoing conflict, local mediators announced.
The blocked Hawban-Madina section of the road in the Taiz province was made passable again after dirt barriers, barricades, and landmines were cleared through cooperative efforts there in recent days, Samir Al-Sabai, a member of the local mediation committee, told Xinhua.
The road reopened to passenger traffic following the cooperation of the concerned parties, namely the Houthis and government forces, according to Al-Sabai.
Hawban is a Houthis-controlled area on the outskirts of Taiz, the capital of the namesake province, while Madina is in the Taiz city where government troops are stationed.
Citizens in the government-controlled areas of Taiz can now travel without restrictions to the Houthi-controlled Hawban and then to other provinces including the country's capital Sanaa.
Fighting between the two sides severed the main road link in early 2015, forcing travelers to take circuitous mountain routes that stretched a 10-minute drive into an over six-hour journey.
Al-Sabai said reopening the road was built upon more than five years of communication and meetings to alleviate suffering for local families and travelers.
Meanwhile, the pro-government Yemeni army confirmed the groundbreaking reopening of the vital road.
"Citizens are moving freely from the city of Taiz (under government authority) to the Hawban area (under Houthi control)," according to a military statement.
Residents circulated pictures on social media showing large groups of travelers crossing from the city of Taiz to the Hawban area.
The conflict between the internationally recognized government and the Houthi militant group has cut off multiple main transit routes across the war-ravaged Arab nation since late 2014. ■
