Sanaa is Yemen’s capital, but Houthi rebels have controlled the city for months.
Hadi escaped a week ago after being under house arrest for a month following his resignation under pressure from the rebels. After fleeing to Aden in the south, he released a statement declaring he is still President of Yemen, and calling all political decision made since September illegal and invalid.
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Houthis are Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in the majority Sunni Muslim country. They had been at war with the central government for more than a decade, but their entry into Sanaa in September brought things to a head, sparking battles that left than 300 people dead before a ceasefire was agreed to that month. Houthis then pressured Hadi to step down last month after he refused to agree to certain political demands.
The Houthis’ takeover of Sanaa stunned governments of Western nations, which pulled out diplomatic staff this month. The United States, along with most European and Gulf countries, suspended operations in their embassies in Yemen amid growing unrest.
