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Yemen's rebels mark anniversary of 'revolution'

September 21, 2015

Saudi warplanes have bombed Sanaa once again as the Shiite Houthi rebels celebrated the anniversary of their seizure of the Yemeni capital. The insurgents are also holding fresh talks with the UN peace envoy.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GZwx
Tribal gunmen loyal to the Shiite-Huthi movement raise their weapons as they demonstrate against the Saudi-led intervention in the country in the Bani al-Harith area, north of the capital Sanaa, on August 6, 2015 (Photo: MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images/M. Huwais

The rebels declared September 21 a public holiday to mark the first anniversary of their taking control of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.

The Houthis still control Sanaa and territory in the country's north, despite an ongoing military campaign against them led by Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Sunni-Muslim country.

Since July, the insurgents have lost five southern provinces to forces loyal to exiled President Mansour Hadi.

Last year in September, the rebels overran Sanaa with the backing of troops loyal to Hadi's predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Shiite leader allied with the Houthis.

Abdulmalik al-Houthi, a rebel leader, on Monday urged the Yemeni people to "prove to the world that the people stand by the leadership of the revolution."

The rebellion would continue "until the country enjoys independence and stability" and "the people benefit from its wealth," he added.

A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states launched an air campaign against the Houthis on March 26, and is reportedly preparing for a ground offensive. Riyadh accuses Iran of backing the rebels, who have made significant territorial gains in the impoverished Middle Eastern country, capturing Sanaa and ousting the internationally-recognized President Hadi, who fled Yemen in March.

Smoke rises from the site of a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's capital Sanaa September 18, 2015 (Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah)
The Saudi-led coalition struck Houthi targets on MondayImage: Reuters/K. Abdullah

Thousands of people have been killed and over a million displaced since the start of the conflict. More than 21 million people - over 80 percent of Yemen's population - are in urgent need of aid, and some 9.4 million Yemenis have problems accessing water, according to the UN.

The coalition launched pre-dawn airstrikes on Monday against Saleh's supporters as well as Houthis, witnesses said. The strikes targeted the home of a lawmaker from Saleh's General People's Congress party and arms depots controlled by pro-rebel groups in Sanaa's east.

Diplomatic efforts

On Sunday, a Houthi delegation headed to Oman to hold talks with UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, aimed at breaking the impasse.

Al-Houthi said in a statement that he welcomed diplomatic efforts as long as they "do not harm the national sovereignty, legitimize the aggression and lessen the rights of the Yemeni people."

On Sunday, Houthi fighters freed three Americans, one Briton and two Saudi nationals that they had held captive for six months. The released hostages boarded a plane to neighboring Oman.

A security source told the AFP news agency that the plane that carried the freed foreigners also had a rebel delegation on board.

shs/msh (AFP, AP)