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Yemeni president calls for ceasefire

September 20, 2014

Clashes between pro-government forces and Shiite rebels are ongoing in the Yemeni capital of Sanna despite UN efforts to broker a ceasefire. President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has called the offensive a 'coup attempt.'

https://p.dw.com/p/1DGJJ
Smoke rises from the headquarters of the Yemeni state television building, which is under attack from Shi'ite Houthi militants, in Sanaa September 20, 2014 (Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah)
Image: Reuters/Khaled Abdullah

Yemeni forces have been battling to halt the rebels who swept into the country's capital of Sanna on Thursday from their northwestern mountainous strongholds. Three days of heavy fighting has paralyzed the city and President Hadi's government.

Three civilians were killed on Saturday in a bomb attack near the Iman University, according to health officials. Rebels had tried to seize the university from fighters of the Sunni Islah (Reform) party. A hospital in the area was also hit by shellfire, leaving one person dead and three wounded, a hospital worker said.

Over 50 people have been killed in fighting over the past three days, authorities said.

Mass demonstrations led by the Shiite Houthi minority have been going on in or around the capital for over four weeks, with the armed rebels and their supporters demanding the resignation of Hadi's government, which it accuses of widespread corruption.

Political and economic instability have gripped Yemen since early 2012, when its long-time leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was ousted from power. The government has struggled since then against an al Qaeda insurgency and a secessionist movement in the country's south.

In recent months, a Zaidi Shiite rebel group led by Abdel-Malek el-Houti has increased its influence in the north of Yemen, where they form the majority.

'Coup attempt'

On Saturday, Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi called the rebel offensive a "coup attempt" against his government as he tried to find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis.

"The right choice is through the process taking place with (UN special envoy) Jamal Benomar," Hadi was quoted as saying by the official Saba news agency. The president said the Houthi advance into Sanaa was "inexcusable."

UN envoy Benomar is trying to negotiate a ceasefire with al-Huthi in the northern rebel stronghold of Saada.

"I have tried to narrow the gap between the two parties and we have agreed on a number of points that can serve as the basis of an accord," Benomar told reporters on Saturday.

shs/bw (AP, Reuters, AFP)