Yemen's Houthis Threaten To Form 'Salvation Council'

Yemen's Shiite Houthi group said it would establish its own "national salvation council" if President ABD Rabbuh Mansur Hadi did not announce the lineup of a new cabinet within ten days, a Yemeni dignitary close to the group said.



Sheikh Deifallah Rassam said that attendees at a meeting Friday evening between Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi and a number of Yemeni tribal leaders had agreed on a presenting Hadi with the said deadline after he failed to fulfill the terms of a September 21 agreement with the Houthis that had called for the formation of a new government within a month.



Al-Houthi announced the ultimatum in a televised speech Friday evening, following a meeting with a number of Yemeni dignitaries.



Following the meeting, which was broadcast by the Houthi-linked Al-Masira television channel, al-Houthi slammed a recent speech by Hadi in which the latter called on the Shiite group to pull its militants out of all cities they had recently seized, including capital Sanaa.



"[Houthi] popular committees should continue to carry out their duties in deterring Takfiris," al-Houthi said.



Earlier this month, Houthis backed a presidential decree appointing Khaled Bahah as the new prime minister.



The Shiite Houthi group, which has remained in control of capital Sanaa since late September, had earlier opposed the appointment to the premiership of Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak to succeed Mohamed Basindawa, who resigned late last month.



The Houthis signed a deal with the presidency on September 21 that called for the formation of a technocratic government and the withdrawal of the Shiite group's members from Sanaa.



The agreement, however, has yet to take effect, with the Houthis extending their influence beyond the capital to other parts of the country.



Yemen has been dogged by political turmoil since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 toppled autocratic ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh one year later.



Some Arab capitals have accused Shiite Iran of supporting Yemen's ongoing Houthi insurgency.



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