ALLIANCE BETWEEN HOUTHIS AND SALEH WEAKENS

Speeches by rebel leader and former president show cracks appearing in Yemen partnership

Cracks have emerged in the alliance between Yemen’s Houthis and the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The rebels and forces loyal to Mr Saleh have together fought against the internationally recognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

But speeches by rebel leader Abdul Malek Al Houthi and by Mr Saleh showed stresses in the relationship, with the two sides accusing each other of jeopardising the partnership.

On Saturday, in his first public address since Ramadan, Mr Al Houthi accused unnamed parties of plotting against the rebels by considering a peace agreement that would go against Yemeni interests.

“Certain individuals and groups, who try to hide under the guise of being called those who fight for peace, or thinkers, are conspiring against Yemen and trying to make deals that undermine its future,” he said in the televised speech called “Maintaining the unity of internal ranks”.

Mr Al Houthi said he was prepared to work towards a peace agreement with Mr Hadi’s government and the Saudi-led coalition backing it, which includes the UAE, but only one that would be in the interest of the country.

Mr Saleh responded yesterday by accusing the rebels of dishonouring terms of their political agreement made in July last year, under which the two would form a joint political council to run rebel-controlled parts of Yemen.

“To the great disappointment there are supervising committees, to which we agreed on dissolving upon the partnership, but what’s happening is that the revolutionary committee controls the political council in Yemen,” he said.

Members of the “Supreme Political Council” were named in August last year, with the Houthis saying the 10 positions would be divided equally between the rebels and Saleh loyalists.

Mr Al Houthi appeared to pre-empt Mr Saleh’s accusation on Friday, saying the rebel movement “represents only a quarter of the state’s top echelons and 1 per cent of the overall administrative structure of the state”.

Mr Saleh, meanwhile, said the Supreme Political Council’s ability to govern was being undermined by the Houthis’ failure to send the incomes of areas under their control, mainly taxes, to the Yemeni central bank in Aden.

Without these funds the Yemeni government, which controls the bank, has for nearly a year refused to pay the salaries of public-sector workers in rebel-controlled areas.

“Where are the salaries?” Mr Saleh asked. “No one should be taking the countries’ resources and we should be united.”

His comments came four days before the 35th anniversary of the formation of his General People’s Congress party.

The alliance between the Houthi movement and Mr Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years, has always been a marriage of convenience.

The former foes fought six brutal wars in five years while Mr Saleh was president. His forces killed Hussein Al Houthi, founder of the Houthi

movement and Abdul Malek’s elder brother, in 2004.

But their interests aligned after Mr Saleh surrendered power in 2012 after months of violent protests against his government.

Mr Hadi was forced to flee the capital, Sanaa, after it was overrun by the Houthis in September 2014, with Mr Saleh and his supporters suspected of helping the takeover.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition intervened in the conflict after the rebels attacked Aden. Now, the schism in the Houthis-Saleh partnership comes as Yemen is facing a humanitarian crisis, including a cholera outbreak that has already infected more than 500,000 people and killed more than 2,000, according to the World Health Organisation.

More than 10,000 civilians have died in the Yemeni civil war, according to UN figures, while 3 million are estimated to have been displaced.

Meanwhile, United Nations humanitarian affairs coordinator Jaime McGoldrick had accused Houthi fighters and Saleh-allied troops of derailing relief work in the areas of Yemen still under their control.

For months, humanitarian groups have been delayed from getting its humantiarian workers into areas under the by Houthis’ control, Mr McGoldrick said.

He said that the rebels were also interfering with the delivery of assistance, including by hijacking aid vehicles.

Yemen is facing a humanitarian crisis, including a cholera outbreak that has already infected more than 500,000 people and killed more than 2,000