The Houthi rebel group that has seized control of Yemen’s capital on Tuesday said that separatist forces in the south were responsible for the impasse preventing an end to the political crisis convulsing the nation.
“Some forces in the south are taking provocative steps,” group leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech. “This country is for all of us and can fit all of us.”
Al-Houthi proposed new talks in the speech, and his group released a presidential aide seized 10 days ago as a goodwill gesture.
Photo: Reuters
However, there was no indication that his speech signaled an easing to the crisis in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation and an incubator for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
If anything, al-Houthi’s 30-minute criticism of the southern separatists’ ambitions could drive them further away.
The Houthi movement, a Shiite group with Iranian backing, opposes al-Qaeda, but also objects to the strong US influence in Sana’a. It took over main parts of the capital last week, including the presidential palace.
US-backed former Yememi president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi resigned along with his Cabinet leaving the nation leaderless and divided.
The US has relied on Hadi as a counterterrorism partner in its drone strike campaign against al-Qaeda, and there were reports last week that his resignation had led to a suspension of that effort, which US officials denied.
However, the crisis did prompt the US Department of State to curtail work at its embassy in Sana’a, which closed except for consular emergencies.
Alarmed by the Houthi advance and the ensuing power struggle, the southern separatist movement, Heraq, asserted its demand for independence by seizing control of territories and raising its own flag over some government buildings.
On Monday, in a sign that the US intended to pursue its drone strikes in Yemen regardless of the political crisis, three suspected al-Qaeda fighters were killed in a CIA drone attack, US officials said.
“We lost all hope for building a true civil state in Sana’a,” said Ali al-Quthairi, a spokesman for a council composed of some of the main groups in the south fighting for independence.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
RSS