Daily Times

Yemen, a deeply tribal country awash with weapons, has been riven by crisis since veteran strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced from power in 2012 following a bloody yearlong uprising against his rule. On January 20, 2015, Shia Houthi rebels seized the presidential palace in the capital. The movement officially took control of the Yemeni government on February 6, 2015 by dissolving parliament and declaring its Revolutionary Committee (RC) to be the acting authority in Yemen. Earlier, in September 2014, Houthis controlled main parts of the Yemeni capital, including government buildings and the radio station. The country is also battling an al Qaeda insurgency and facing a separatist movement in the formerly independent south.

In September 2014, Ansarullah fighters gained control of Sanaa, following a four-day battle with army forces loyal to General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, the half-brother of the country’s former dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Ansarullah revolutionaries view the Yemeni government as incapable of properly running the affairs of the country and providing security. Before gaining control of the capital, Ansarullah had set a deadline for the political parties to put aside differences and fill the power vacuum, but the deadline was missed without any change in the political scene of the country.

The country went into a political power vacuum after the resignation of western-backed President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah last month. The Houthis have asserted that their actions are needed to fight against the expansion of Salafiism in Yemen and for the defence of their community from widespread and systematic discrimination. Their opposition has in turn accused the insurgents of intending to overthrow the regime out of a desire to institute Zaidi Shia religious law and to destabilise the government, stirring anti-US sentiment.

The Houthis, also known as the Ansarullah, are a Zaidi Shia group operating in Yemen. The group takes its name from Hussein Badreddin Al-Houthi who launched an insurgency in 2004 and was reportedly killed by Yemeni security forces in September 2004. This group was founded in 1992, known as the Believing Youth (BY), inspired by the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979. The BY started its active political role in 2003 after the US invasion of Iraq. The youth began chanting anti-US and anti-Jewish slogans in the Saleh Mosque in Sanaa after Friday prayers, resulting in popular support from the masses. Ali al-Qatwani, Abu Haider, Abbas Aidah and Yousuf al-Madani were the prominent leaders of this group. Most of them have been killed by Yemeni security forces. The popular uprising of the BY from a mosque led to confrontations with the government as they were considered a potential threat to the regime. The government arrested more than 800 members of the BY in Sanaa in 2004, containing the movement for some time. However, in 2011, Houthis participated in the Yemeni Revolution as well as the subsequent National Dialogue Conference (NDC) but they rejected the provisions of the November 2011 Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) deal, which included immunity for former president Saleh and the establishment of a coalition government.

Houthis and their base of support rely mainly on peaceful methods of campaign, most notably civil disobedience. In a new series of protests provoked by the Yemeni government’s decision in July 13, 2014 to increase fuel prices, Houthi leaders succeeded in organising massive rallies in the capital of Sanaa to protest the decision and to demand the resignation of the incumbent government of Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi for “state corruption”. The popular support coupled with youth fighters helped the Houthis take over the Yemeni capital in very little time.

The Houthis were strongly challenged by al Qaeda in various cities of Yemen. According to international media reports, the Houthis had accepted aid from Iran while Saudi Arabia was aiding their Yemeni rivals, al Qaeda. The security situation in Yemen has continued to deteriorate and, therefore, France has decided to close its embassy in Yemen after a similar move by the UK and the US. The UN and GCC need to play an active role to end this power battle otherwise the ongoing political crisis will not only destabilise the country but also the whole region.

The writer is a freelance columnist