The crisis in Yemen rose to new heights this week, as Houthi fighters clashed with soldiers loyal to the president in the capital Sanaa and moved on the presidential palace, leading to warnings by top officials in the U.S.-backed government of an impending coup.
Witnesses said on Tuesday that Houthis had seized control of the presidential palace and the barracks of the 3rd Brigade, Yemen’s presidential guard. They also shelled the private residence of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and by Wednesday had posted guards outside his house, but stopped short of overthrowing him.
The Houthi gains this week came after a tense weekend. On Saturday, Houthi fighters kidnapped presidential aid Ahmed bin Mubarak after a disagreement with the president over a new constitution. As talks over the aid’s release between the Houthis and the president were underway on Sunday, clashes erupted between Houthi fighters and the presidential guard in Yemeni capital, and the fighters seized control over state media. On Monday, they moved against the presidential palace as gunfire was heard throughout Sanaa.
Houthi Shiite Yemeni gather while guarding a street leading to the presidential palace in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 20, 2015. (Hani Mohammed/AP Photo)
RISE OF A MILITIA
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YEMEN’S FUTURE
For Yemeni civilians, the fighting between the Houthis, parts of the military and al Qaeda has turned a dire humanitarian situation into a disastrous one. Yemen’s economy is on the brink of collapse. AQAP has stepped up its campaign of suicide bombings and urban attacks, increasing the number of civilians casualties. The violence of the past sent residents of Sanaa scrambling to find food and safety. While the Houthis initially received public approval for their stance against corruption and their relatively liberal proposals, many now disapprove of their fierce tactics.
According to Craig, what comes next largely depends on the Houthis. She points out that a coup is not an inevitability — the Houthis had the chance to take power in September but did not do so. “It’s up to them whether they start this fighting again in order to push what — and force the government into a corner and to take heed of their demands, or whether we now see a peaceful end to all of this,” she said. “But it won’t really be an end. The Houthis still have the power in their hands at the moment, and President Hadi most certainly does not.”
A Houthi rebel stands guard at a checkpoint on a street leading to the state television building in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept. 21, 2014. (Hani Mohammed/AP Photo)
This post was originally published in October 2014 and was updated to include recent developments.
