ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Scores of families in the southern port city of Aden attempted to compensate joy they lost due to fighting that erupted during Eid Al-Adha by starting to get out and head towards amusement parks along with their children.
Intense fighting erupted between Yemen's government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and military units belonging to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) that are allied with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), depriving many families of enjoying Eid al-Adha festivities.
Days ahead of Eid al-Adha, fighting expanded between the two warring rivals and heavily intensified over the control of the country's presidential palace based in the strategic southern port city of Aden.
Many families were preparing to celebrate and have a great time during the Eid holiday but the street-to-street fighting interrupted the citizen's preparations and forced them to stay at home for about four consecutive days.
But mediation efforts exerted by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition succeed to cease the fighting in Aden and convinced the STC forces to withdraw from a number of government institutions.
On Sunday, many families felt safe and started to get out amid fears of fighting resumption as the internal conflict is still unsolved but was ceased temporarily.
Some families along with their children tried to compensate the lost joy and rushed into an amusement park that reopened its doors days after Eid al-Adha despite heavy deployment of armed forces on the city's streets.
Troops belonging to the STC demanding the secession of southern Yemeni regions withdrew from a number of government institutions in the port city of Aden after a week of seizure.
According to Aden-based officials, the withdrawal of the STC forces from Yemeni government institutions including the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and the cabinet headquarters as well as from the judicial compound in the strategic port city came after successful mediation efforts conducted by the Saudi-led coalition.
But the STC forces refused to vacate military bases of the government and vowed to seize all the country's southern regions including the country's southeastern province of Hadramout.
Saudi Arabia that leads the anti-Houthi military campaign in Yemen officially invited the government officials and the STC to attend negotiations in Riyadh to resolve the disputes through dialogue away from violent acts.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition confirmed in a statement on Saturday that the STC "began to withdraw its troops and combat elements to their previous positions before recent events, and hand over Yemeni government headquarters under the supervision of the coalition."
The coalition also praised Yemen's government for its response to "the call for restraint during the crisis, to prioritize of the interests of the Yemeni people and preserve of the gains of the coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen to restore the state and its institutions."
On Wednesday, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government set the withdrawal of the forces belonging to the STC as a precondition for starting dialogue under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande, scores of civilians have been killed and wounded since Aug. 8 when fighting broke out in Aden.
"Preliminary reports indicate that as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 injured," the statement said.
Yemen's Interior Ministry on Saturday announced work suspension at its main headquarters in Aden, a week after forces of the STC seized the strategic city.
The ministry added it will "announce the resumption of work in its office in Aden after the return of state institutions to their previous status before the coup."
Considered as Yemen's temporary capital, Aden is where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has based itself since 2015.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces including the capital Sanaa.
