The conflict between Houthi protesters and the Yemeni government has reached a new threshold. On Monday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi ordered his supporters to begin the last phase of their revolution to remove President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. Al-Houthi called on hundreds of thousands of protesters to enter the capital, Sanaa, to end the “corrupted” government. The protesters, about half of whom are believed to be armed, have been camping on the outskirts of the capital. Others are already inside Sanaa itself. In a televised speech, Al-Houthi threatened to protect his “peaceful” protesters with all possible means. He warned President Hadi against relying on the United States and other internal allies. “America will not rescue you, nor will Ali Muhsen and Hamid Ahmar,” said Al-Houthi, referring to General Ali Muhsen and tribal leader Hamid Ahmar, the two main domestic enemies of the Houthis. In an exceptional meeting with military and security commanders and advisors after the Houthi threats, President Hadi ordered the army and security forces to be on the highest alert, ready to confront a Houthi attack. “The Houthi escalation must stop; the security of Sanaa is the security of the whole country,” Hadi said at the meeting. Iran, meanwhile, turned up the heat in official remarks supporting the Houthi protesters. “The Yemeni people do not allow aliens — including the Americans and Arab reactionaries — to interfere in their country's internal affairs,” said Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri. Jazayeri added: “We condemn any violent treatment of the people who insist on their legitimate demands.” The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Sanaa closed down and staff members left Yemen, fearing possible attacks. Iran and Saudi Arabia are both alleged to have provided support for the armed government opponents. The first clash between Yemeni government forces and Houthi protesters occurred last Sunday. A protester was killed and 40 others injured after security forces prevented protesters from erecting tents in the main streets leading to the international airport. Although protesters say they will remain peaceful, it is well known that around half of the protesters besieging Sanaa are armed. “When it turns to war, we will go home and leave everything to Abu Ali Al-Hakem,” said leading protester Talal Aklan, referring to the military commander of Al-Houthi fighters. Negotiations are still ongoing. Al-Houthi wants Hadi to sack the current government and return prices to previous levels, before subsidies were removed on fuels. Hadi has offered to form a new government in which Houthis would participate and lowered fuel prices by 500 Yemeni Rials. Al-Houthi, meanwhile, has demanded the fuel prices fall by 1,500 Yemeni Rials, effectively returning the prices to the earlier subsidised rates. “Lifting the subsidy was only the last straw that broke the camel's back. The real problem is rampant corruption in the government,” said Ali Bukhaiti, a prominent Houthis activists. With Sanaa now full of armed extremists from both sides (Houthis surrounding it from all directions, and Salafists and Al-Qaeda standing by), if war erupts no one will be able to stop it. Houthis are well aware of what is happening now in Iraq, with the Islamic State killing and beheading Shias. Al-Houthi has told his followers they have only two options: to continue their revolution, or surrender and be slaughtered by Daesh (the Arabic name for the Islamic State) or Al-Qaeda. Not all protesters are Houthis. All opponents of Islah — the largest Sunni Islamist party, linked to the international Muslim Brotherhood and part of the government — and many hurt by the removal of subsidies, along with those opposed to corruption, are protesting alongside the Houthis. The party of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh is even supporting Al-Houthi, although not openly, because President Hadi is the secretary general of that party. If the Houthis achieve their demands, it will be in their interest to support the semi-secular party of ex-president Saleh. They will want guarantees that their rights as a minority will be respected. But the Houthis could seek to rule by themselves, which would almost certainly lead to continued sectarian fighting.
