Yemeni divided by fighting, ICRC says

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SANAA, Yemen, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Yemeni civilians displaced by conflict are returning to their homes in the north of the country as crisis grips administrative districts, the Red Cross said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said northern provinces in Yemen are relatively calm.

"After years of living in harsh conditions in camps in and around Sa'ada with nothing but ICRC-provided assistance, internally displaced people have started to return to their homes," Eric Marclay, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, said in a statement.

Fighters thought to be loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh stormed the building housing the Defense Ministry this week in Sanaa, leaving four people dead.

he attack came one week after President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi cut back on the number of military units under the command of the former president's son.

The U.N. Security Council had called on Yemeni authorities to settle differences and prepare for general election in 2014 after demonstrations last year forced Ali Abdullah Saleh's resignation.

In regions surrounding Sanaa, Marclay said displaced people have little to return to or "simply fear a resumption of the fighting."