International Shia News Agency

presstv.com/Houthis stage anti-govt. rallies across Yemen

SHAFAQNA (International Shia News Association)-Thousands of Houthis and their supporters have once again held a series of fresh rallies across Yemen, calling on the government to step down.

On Friday, thousands of supporters of the Shia Houthi community took to the streets of the northern city of Sa’ada, calling for the downfall of the transitional government.

Sources say a similar massive rally by supporters of Yemen’s Houthi movement is underway in the capital city of Sana’a.

They have threatened to escalate their campaign against the government, which included briefly blocking of main arteries in Sana’a.

The fresh rallies come despite government pleas to end the protest rallies.

On Wednesday, Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi made threats to Houthi community at a meeting with ambassadors from 10 foreign countries.

Hadi has also dismissed Prime Minister Mohammed Salim Basindawa and his ministers in a bid to end an ongoing standoff with the Shia Houthi protesters. Hadi also partially reversed an earlier decision to lift fuel subsidies.

However, senior Houthi leaders in Yemen have strongly dismissed a series of proposals put forward by the embattled president.

Houthi leader, Sheikh Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has recently called for civil disobedience and expansion of protest rallies against the government.

Houthis have been holding demonstrations since August 20 when they strengthened their positions in the Yemeni capital in an effort to press the government to quit.

They accuse the government of corruption and marginalizing the Shia community.

The Houthi movement played a key role in the popular revolution that forced former dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down in February 2012.

http://en.shafaqna.com

Leave a Comment