23 people killed and wounded in clashes between tribal gunmen‏‏

Eight people were killed and at least 15 others wounded in clashes between tribal gunmen in Yemen's northeastern oil-rich province of Marib، a government official said.

According to the local government official، who talked on condition of anonymity on Friday، ferocious clashes erupted on Thursday night and continued into Friday morning between gunmen from the Al Munif and Al Fahih tribes in the Al Wadi district of Marib.

The clashes were caused by a dispute over land ownership between the two tribes، the source said، adding a ceasefire began to take effect on Friday night، Xinhua news agency reported.

Despite the ceasefire، tensions remain high as both sides have deployed heavily armed reinforcements in different areas of Marib، the official added.

Marib province، which houses Yemen's most crucial oil and gas fields، is under-control of Yemen's internationally recognised government.

In recent years، the province has been engulfed in intense conflicts between government forces and Houthi rebels.

Yemen's war erupted in late 2014 when the Houthi militias seized control over much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognised government out of the capital Sanaa. Hence، the Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened to support the internationally recognized government.