Sana’a: Dozens of supporters of a rebel group demanding the reinstatement of fuel subsidies blocked major roadways in Yemen’s capital Sana’a on Wednesday in an escalation of their standoff with the government.
Supporters of the group, known as Al Houthis, brandished arms and batons while using tyres and cement blocks to divert traffic from main roads, including a boulevard that leads to government buildings and state institutions. Government tanks were positioned in front of the parliament and TV buildings.
The disruption of traffic comes a day after Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi dismissed the Cabinet and announced a reduction of fuel prices in an attempt to resolve the crisis.
Al Houthis waged a six-year insurgency that officially ended in 2010. The following year, an Arab Spring-inspired uprising shook the country, eventually forcing longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down as part of a US-backed deal giving him immunity from prosecution.
The government has pledged that a 30 per cent reduction in the fuel price hikes will take effect on Thursday, its spokesman Rajeh Badi said.
Demonstrators chanted slogans rejecting the presidential offer and called for more protests.
“Escalate! Escalate! We reject the initiative,” read a banner carried by protesters. “The people want to topple corruption,” they chanted.
The protesters cleared the road after a blockade that lasted more than three hours, an AFP correspondent said.
Security forces had cordoned off roads leading to the government headquarters. No confrontations were reported but some residents complained about disruptions.
“I am ill. I need to go to hospital but I could not reach it,” said Mohammad Haidar, 30.
The presidential initiative stipulates naming a new prime minister within a week and reducing a recent fuel price hike, two demands of the rebels who accuse the government of corruption.
The rebels’ spokesman, Mohammad Abdul Salam, dismissed the initiative as an attempt to “skirt around the demands of the Yemeni people,” writing on his Facebook page that the rebels “do not agree to it”.
The initiative comes after Zaidi rebel leader Abdul Malek Al Houthi on Sunday urged supporters to press on with a campaign in Sana’a to oust the government.
Zaidi fighters have been camped around the capital for the past two weeks and held protests throughout much of August to push for the government’s resignation.
Analysts say the rebels are trying to establish themselves as the dominant political force in the northern highlands, where the Zaidi are the majority community.
The government initiative demands the dismantling of the Al Houthis’ encampments within and around the capital, describing them as a “cause for tension”.
It also calls for bringing the northern province of Amran, where rebels have expanded their presence in past months, under full government control, as well as ending confrontations in nearby Jawf province.
The UN Security Council on Friday also demanded the dismantling of the Al Houthis’ camps, and for the rebels to pull back from areas they have occupied in recent months.
It threatened sanctions against groups blocking the political transition of the impoverished country.
