A protester sprays water at a Houthi anti-government protest during hot weather.

SANAA  — Yemen’s president has offered to appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours, under a fresh accord with Houthi Shi’a rebels in return for ending their protests, a source close to the presidency said Thursday, Sept. 11.

There was no immediate confirmation of the deal from the rebels, whose protests and the sometimes deadly government response have raised fears of worsening unrest in the Arabian Peninsula country.

“An accord was reached… late on Wednesday” to end the country’s latest political impasse, by which “a new prime minister will be named within 48 hours” and fuel prices will be further cut, the source said.

President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi promised in an initiative rejected by the Houthi rebels earlier this month to name a new prime minister.

The rebels had been demanding that Hadi consult them before naming a new prime minister. It was unclear if this has been agreed in the overnight accord.

Under the deal, the rebels are to “dismantle their protest camps and pull their armed men” from the capital Sanaa and its surroundings, the presidency source added.

In a potential sign of progress, U.N. envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar arrived in Sanaa early on Thursday, according to sources close to him.

The Gulf Cooperation Council envoy Saleh al-Qunayeer also arrived in the country “to back efforts aimed at easing tensions,” a GCC statement said.

Houthi activists launched their protest campaign in late July after the government announced a hike in fuel prices. Four protesters were shot dead by government forces last week.