Yemen's rebels threaten to arrest, charge ministers
Yemen's Shiite rebels on Monday threatened to arrest and try
for treason the prime minister and all Cabinet members if they fail to return
to work, as thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in the capital, Sanaa, to
denounce the rebel power grab.
The threat came a day after the rebel Houthis ordered Prime
Minister Khaled Bahah and all Cabinet members back to work, but they declined, reports AP.
In January, Bahah and the ministers were placed under house
arrest by the rebels who had seized Sanaa. The officials resigned en masse in a
gesture of protest and the Houthis subsequently declared they have taken over
the country.
The Houthi TV channel, Al-Masirah, said Monday that 17
Cabinet members agreed to resume their posts. The report could not be
immediately confirmed and none of the Cabinet ministers could be reached for
comment.
Meanwhile, protesters in the Yemeni capital chanted in
support of embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who over the weekend
fled Sanaa where he had also been held under house arrest by the Houthis.
Hadi arrived in the southern port city of Aden and from
there, called on the Houthis to leave the capital and for the military and
security forces to rally to his side. He announced on Sunday that he is still
the legitimate leader of Yemen and that all actions taken since the rebels
stormed the capital Sanaa last September were illegitimate.
The Houthis swept into Sanaa last September, after battling
their way from the northern Shiite heartland and imposing control over at least
nine provinces. Since taking over the country, the Houthis also disbanded the
parliament and empowered their security arm, known as the Revolutionary
Committee, to act as the country's top decision-makers.
Also Monday, Sunni tribesmen in control of eastern Marib
province, where Yemen's oil infrastructure is based, threatened to cut fuel
supplies to Sanaa if the Houthis try to pressure them by halting the payments
of their salaries from the capital.
The Marib governor, Sultan al-Arada, said in a statement
obtained by The Associated Press that the Sunni tribes were "making all
effort to avert confrontation and warfare."
Comments
Post a Comment