Sana’a: Yemen’s Al Houthi rebel group has levelled accusations at the United State for the assassination of their representative in the National Dialogue on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, unidentified assailants shot dead Ahmad Sharaf Al Din, a professor of law at Sana’a University in the capital, when he was en route to attend the closing session of the National Dialogue.
Al Din was the second National Dialogue delegate representing the Al Houthi rebels to be assassinated, the first being Abdul Karim Jadban, a member of Parliament, who was assassinated in November.
“This cowardly act comes as a part of systematic attacks on Ansar Allah inside and outside the National Dialogue, which is due to the intelligence activities of the US’s stooges in Yemen,” the Al Houthi group said in a statement.
Shortly after the assassination, 35 Al Houthi delegates walked out of the National Dialogue in protest against the “lack of security” and the final document.
Ali Al Bakheeti, an Al Houthi spokesman, told Gulf News that Al Houthis would continue to boycott the celebratory ceremony on January 25 if the National Dialogue did not reconsider its reservations about the Guarantees Document and provide protection for their delegates.
After months of discussions, the national reconciliation talks approved a document on Tuesday, extending Hadi’s term and the unity government.
“We object the document as it gives an extension to (Prime Minister) Basinwa’s government and the other failed institutes,” Al Bakheeti said.
Hadi pledged on Tuesday that there would be a security shakeup in order to control the deterioration of security in the capital and the other cities.
He blamed a “terrorist organisation” for carrying out the assassination on Al Din that aimed at “scuttling the transitional talks”.
Local media reported on a “stormy” argument on Tuesday night between Hadi and the leaders of the Islamist Islah party.
Al Sharea newspaper said on Wednesday that the party and the former army officer, Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar and powerful tribal leaders blocked a decision by Hadi to replace the Minister of Interior General Abdul Gader Gahtan with General Abdul Gader Ali Hilal, the serving mayor of the capital.
The newspaper said that Hadi “angrily” rejected a proposal by General Al Ahmar to appoint General Riyadh Al Qurishi, a military advisor to the interior minister, saying that the nominee is a member of the Islah party and an administrative not security figure.
