The province has seen increased activity by Al Qaida militants and Shiite Al Houthi rebels, both of which oppose the government.

Al Houthis swept into Sana’a in September and kept President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest until he fled last week. He moved to southern city of Aden, where he is setting up a presidential base and rallying supporters.

The US considers Al Qaida in Yemen to be one of the most dangerous local branches of the global terror organisation because it has been linked to several failed attacks in the US Washington has frequently launched drone strikes against the group — which captured large parts of Yemen in the security vacuum following the country’s 2011 uprising.

In Geneva, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the critical conditions in Yemen were being closely monitored with great concern as the political dialogue was faltering.

Ravina Shamdasani said that in the past few months, the UN organisation has documented a number of unlawful arrests, arbitrary detentions and targeting of journalists. Last week, a protester was killed by special forces under the control of Al Houthis, who reportedly used live ammunition to disperse demonstrations.

“It is crucial that all sides exercise restraint and work to resolve the political impasse in a peaceful manner and to avoid the situation from spiralling out of control,” Shamdasani said.