The Houthi rebel movement in Yemen appointed a new head of the president's office Sunday after seizing power in the capital and the stepping down of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in recent weeks. The group selected Mahmoud al-Junaid, instead of the former head, Ahmed bin Mubarak to fill the post. Bin Mubarak was kidnapped by the Houthis in January. Opposition elements described the developments the latest step in a coup conducted by the Houthis. The Shi'a rebel group recently dissolved parliament, and created a supreme security committee to run the state until the formation of a presidential council. Protests broke out across the Yemen following the declaration against the Houthis, who took over the capital last September. Protesters were confronted by Houthi militants in Sanaa and other cities. Provinces in southern Yemen, including Aden, Lahij and Abyan, refused to recognize the Houthi constitutional declaration, calling the move a coup and illegitimate. The rejection followed a meeting between local southern authorities, commanders of military and security institutions, and officials of al-Dalea, Shabwah, Hadhramaut, al-Mahrah and Socotra provinces. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has condemned the Houthi's actions. "The Houthi coup is unacceptable dangerous escalation," the GCC said in an official statement, adding, "it threatens the pluralism and coexistence approach by Yemeni society and puts Yemen's security, stability, sovereignty and unity at risk."
