SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Rebel Houthis in Yemen say they would accept the government's conditions for a cease-fire if military troops stop attacking them.
Rebels "keen on ending this bloodshed" would lay down their arms after Yemeni soldiers "end the aggression," Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on the group's Web site.
Both sides have accused the other of reneging on previous attempts at a truce to end the fighting, which has lasted more than five years, CNN reported Sunday.
The Yemeni government had no immediate response to the latest offer from the rebels.
The government has said its cease-fire terms include the removal of rebel checkpoints, the end of banditry, the release of kidnapped civilian and military personnel, and the surrender of all military equipment and weapons.
The conflict, which began in 2004 with Houthi rebels demanding a region independent of Yemen, has weakened Yemen, causing it to fall into a "serious political abyss," al-Houthi said in his statement.
