Houthis March On Yemen's Sanaa For Anti-Govt Sit-In

Supporters of Yemen's Shia Houthi group flocked to Sanaa on Tuesday in response to calls by the group's leaders for mass anti-government protests in the capital.



According to local witnesses, the group set up several encampments outside the city's southern and western entrances to accommodate Houthi protesters who plan to hold a sit-in aimed at pressing Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa to step down.



The group has said on its website that the encampments would receive protesters until Friday – the deadline given by group leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi to President ABD Rabbuh Mansur Hadi for sacking the government and rescinding an earlier decision to lift petrol subsidies.



The latest developments come one day after Houthi supporters staged a mass rally in Sanaa to reiterate the group's demands, while al-Houthi vowed "unpleasant" escalations if these demands were not met by the government.



For their part, the ten international sponsors of Yemen's political dialogue expressed "deep concern" over the Houthi's "insulting" move against the government, which was appointed by President ABD Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in late 2011 with the sponsors' support.



"Threatening the government is not the way to support your accusations," read a Tuesday statement by the sponsors' committee addressed to al-Houthi.



The committee, formed in the wake of president Ali Abullah Saleh's ouster three years ago, is made up of diplomats representing the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (the U.S., the U.K., China, France and Russia) and representatives of influential Gulf States Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.



The Shia Houthi movement first appeared in 1992, taking Yemen's northern Saada province as its main base of operations.



Several rounds of subsequent fighting between the group and the army left thousands dead on both sides.



Yemen has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests in 2011 forced Saleh to step down after 33 years in power.



By Ali Oweida



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana