Thousands
of supporters of Yemen’s Houthi movement have flooded Sanaa in a public
display of strength the day after their leader publicly called for the
government to be dissolved.
The group’s decision to protest in the
capital on Monday has raised concerns of a potential outbreak of
violence between Shia Houthis and the government or its Sunni political
rivals, the Islah party.
In a televised speech on August 17, Houthi
leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi called for his supporters to mount protests
in Sanaa and other major cities, and to reoccupy the Change Square
protest encampment, an integral part of the country’s 2011 uprising.
The Houthis are a religious and social movement, also known as Ansarallah, that includes an armed wing.
Houthi demanded that fuel subsidies, which
were cut significantly in late July, be reinstated. He urged for current
government’s dissolution, in favour of what he considers a more
representative cabinet. He gave president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi until
Friday to meet the Houthis’ demands, or warned that “other steps” would
be taken.
The Yemeni government has not officially
commented on the protest, but a government official who spoke to Al
Jazeera on condition of anonymity, said: “They [Houthis] build a
presence, provoke violence and react with violence.”
Ali al-Bokhaiti, a spokesman for the Houthis,
disputed those claims, telling Al Jazeera that the protest was “aimed
at meeting our goals, which are the goals of everyone in Yemen”. He said
the protests would be peaceful.
