Thousands gather after clashes in Yemen

TENS of thousands of Yemeni rebel supporters gathered in Sanaa yesterday a day after deadly clashes between the Huthis and their allies sparked fears of further violence in the rebel-held capital.

The clashes, which erupted late on Wednesday near the capital’s Saleh mosque, killed nine Huthi rebels and five supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to medical sources.

The infighting threatens to unravel the fragile rebel alliance that controls the capital and has been battling the Saudi-backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Yemen’s war.

But yesterday afternoon, Sanaa’s Sabaeen Square was packed as Yemenis gathered to mark the Prophet Muhammed’s birthday, heeding a call from rebel leader Abdul Malik alHuthi for supporters to attend.

The rally came after late-night mediation attempts between Saleh and the rebels failed to reconcile both sides, sources in Saleh’s General People’s Congress political party said.

Saleh and the Iran-backed Huthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have accused each other of inciting Wednesday’s unrest.

“The General People’s Congress and its allies hold Ansar Allah fully responsible for every drop of blood shed among the Yemenis . . . and warn against all acts that, rather than serve national unity, threaten our internal unity and cohesion,” the party said in a statement.

The rebels’ Interior Ministry blamed forces loyal to Saleh for the clashes in a statement released late on Wednesday.

It said its security forces had been banned from entering the Saleh mosque by armed guards “not affiliated with the ministry”, referring to Saleh’s forces.

“We were surprised when these armed forces inside the mosque opened fire on police without warning, which forced police to fire back,” it said.

The rift between Saleh and the Huthis goes back months, with the former president slamming the Huthis as “militias” and the rebels threatening Saleh loyalists after armed violence left two dead in Sanaa in August.

The Huthis have also accused the former president of accepting funds from the Saudi-backed Hadi government.

Yemen’s conflict has claimed more than 8,600 lives since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its military allies joined Hadi’s government in the fight against the rebels.

The United Nations has warned that the country faces mass famine unless the Saudiled coalition allows more food aid to enter the impoverished country.