Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumYemen on high alert as rebels push to overthrow government
Led by heavily armed Shiite rebels, thousands of demonstrators are demanding the government step down by the end of the week. Rebel commander Abdulmalik al-Huthi said the authorities must meet protesters' grievances by the end of the week, or additional forms of "legitimate action" would take place.
According to reports, rebel militias were deploying on rooftops in parts of the capital and armed rebel convoys were entering the capital and setting up checkpoints. Military officials said forces were on standby in case of an attack.
The protests were sparked by a steep rise in gas prices - due to a government stop to fuel subsidies. The demonstrations are gaining in strength as supporters continue to join the anti-government camps. On Wednesday, men armed with Kalashnikovs were seen guarding walled camps set up by the demonstrators.
In the northwestern province of al-Jouf, a local reporter told the German press agency (dpa) that at least 20 militants had been killed in clashes with police that began on Wednesday night.
http://www.dw.de/yemen-on-high-alert-as-rebels-push-to-overthrow-government/a-17870601
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The Saudis won't like this at all, Shiites taking over Yemen.
jakeXT
(10,575 posts)(Reuters) - Talks on forming a new Yemeni government collapsed on Sunday over demands by Shi'ite Muslim Houthis to restore fuel subsidies cut by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, officials said, and further demonstrations in the capital Sanaa were expected.
The Houthis, who have been fighting for years for more power for their Zaydi Shi'ite Muslim sect in north Yemen, have massed tens of thousands of supporters on the outskirts of Sanaa to press the government to quit and to restore fuel subsidies.
The government offered on Saturday to resign within a month to pave the way for a technocrat administration that would review the fuel subsidy issue, but officials said the Houthis had demanded an immediate reinstatement of the subsidies.
The standoff has raised fears for the stability of Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country of 25 million that is allied with the United States and borders major oil exporter Saudi Arabia.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/24/us-yemen-protests-idUSKBN0GN06820140824