Thousands attend Yemen rally in defiance of Houthi ban
Thousands attended a rally in Sanaa to celebrate the 35-year anniversary of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s political party yesterday, flouting a ban on such activity issued by the country’s Houthi rebels days before.
Media reports that clashes had broken out between Houthi fighters and supporters of the General People’s Congress party at the rally in Al Sabeen Square were disputed by a Sanaa resident who attended the rally and other source.
“There were not forces of the Houthis near Al Sabeen and we did not hear any clashes near there,” said Nouradeen Al Otomi, who attended the rally.
“We do not want to witness clashes between Saleh and the Houthis because civilians will be the main victims,” he said.
The rally came after the Houthis on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in the rebel-held capital, issuing a ban on partisan activities. They warned Mr Saleh, until now their main ally in the country’s war, that he would “bear the consequences” after calling the Iran-backed rebels “militias” in a speech on Sunday.
Despite the warning, Mr Saleh gave a speech at the rally – albeit a rushed one lasting about five minutes – in which he said the GPC was ready to resist unspecified enemies.
“We are ready to provide the vanguard with thousands of fighters, ready to go at a moment,” he told crowds in Al Sabeen Square, many of whom had travelled to Sanaa from other provinces to attend the rally.
A broadcast of the speech by the GPC’s news agency showed no signs of violence.
Sky News Arabia reported that tens of thousands of people fled the rally once the speech was over, however, after Houthi
fighters used force on them. It showed hundreds of GPC supporters running through the crowds gathered at the square.
Earlier in the day, there were reports that Houthi fighters were confiscating cameras in Al Sabeen Square and had arrested several pro-Saleh journalists. Paths leading to the square were blocked off by the Houthis ahead of Mr Saleh’s speech, reports said, preventing many supporters from reaching the rally.
Sky News Arabia reported rebel fighters detaining hundreds of GPC supporters in Rima province, west of Sanaa.
Although Houthi supporters protested outside the rally in Sanaa, Mr Al Otomi said there were no rebel fighters at Al Sabeen Square.
The Houthi movement entered an alliance with Mr Saleh and renegade soldiers loyal to him to fight the government of Yemeni president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition supporting it.
But relations between the rebels and Mr Saleh deteriorated this week, after speeches from both sides accused the other of jeopardising the partnership.
“Differences between the two sides are nothing new,” said Prof April Longley Alley, a senior analyst focusing on the Arabian Peninsula at the International Crisis Group.
“The Houthis and Saleh temporarily are bound together by common opposition to the Saudi-led coalition. But they are historical enemies and their co-operation in the government and on military fronts is fraught with difficulties.”
The Houthis fought six wars in five years with the Yemeni government while Mr Saleh was president, with the latter’s forces killing Hussein Al Houthi, the founder of the rebel movement. But their interests aligned after Mr Saleh ceded power in 2012 after months of Arab Spring protests, with both opposing the government of his successor, Mr Hadi.
During the war, the Houthis’ political popularity in the north has suffered while Mr Saleh’s has increased.
“Now it seems that Saleh is capitalising on this to send a message, to the Houthis and to the international community that his party is a powerful force and key to political negotiations,” said Prof Alley.
Sanaa-based journalist Mohammed Sirag said the latest row between the Houthi and Saleh camps erupted over disagreement about a deal with the Saudi-led coalition.
“Saleh wants to go towards the political solution with the [Saudi-led] coalition but the Houthis ... consider it to be a kind of surrender,” he said.
Despite reports of clashes yesterday, Sirag said he believed fighting would not break out between the two sides