Thousands of Shi’ite Rebels Enter Yemeni Capital

Hadi Pushes 'Unity Govt,' But Tribal Leaders Seeks Resignation

Thousands of rebel fighters loyal to Zaidi tribal leaders have taken to the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa today, shoring up a growing force of activists and fighters demanding the ouster of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Though Yemen is majority Sunni and dominated by Sunni officials, the Zaidi are Shi’ites, and make up the majority of the nation’s northwest, including the area around the capital city.

Leaders of the Zaidi protest have been building solid walls around their protest camps, anticipating the usual violent crackdowns that come any time there is a push for regime change in Yemen.

President Hadi, “elected” in 2012 in an election in which no other candidates were allowed and “no” votes were similarly unacceptable, has suggested some sort of “unity” cabinet to solve the dispute, though the Zaidi are continuing to push for a fresh election, ideally with actual choices involved.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.