Death toll from clashes between armed tribesmen and Houthis in Yemen’s Al-Jawf province rose to 15.

Death toll from clashes between armed tribesmen and Houthis in Yemen's Al-Jawf province rose to 15, a local official said.

"At least 12 Houthis and three tribesmen were killed in the clashes that erupted earlier Sunday in Al-Gheil directorate," the official, who asked to remain anonymous, told media outlets.

"Clashes are still raging between the two sides in several areas in the directorate," he added.

The Houthi group is yet to comment on the developments.

The clashes came as Houthi supporters last week escalated their protests against the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Basindawa who refuses to give them the minimal rights, setting up protest camps outside a number of ministries and government offices in capital Sanaa.

A few weeks ago, a presidential mediation committee succeeded in brokering a temporary ceasefire, but this proved to be short-lived.

Al-Jawf is strategically important in that it is located near Yemen's eastern Maarib province, the center of the country's oil production.

Yemen has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.