Deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh denied any alliance or military coordination with Houthi rebels, saying they in control of the army and security forces, according to alMotamar.net, the Yemeni General People's Congress website. The General People's Congress is a political party that was founded by Saleh in 1982. Saleh added that Houthis have "their own militias and have become an alternative to the authority of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi." A Saudi-led coalition has led an air campaign against Houthi rebels and militias allied to Saleh since March 26, following a plea from legitimate President Hadi for foreign intervention. Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition believe Yemen's Houthis have joined forces with Saleh-allied militias in an aggressive bid for power in the crisis-wrecked country. In September 2014, the militias took over the capital Sanaa and eventually forced Hadi to escape house arrest and flee to the city of Aden. Saleh was also quoted as saying that he lacks financial authority over the Houthis, adding that they become an independent political power and authority on ground. Saleh also said he has had "nothing to do with the army and security forces ever since he officially handed over power in 2012." The deposed president voiced his willingness to deal with international calls to end the conflict in Yemen, and added that the General People's Congress was willing to participate in any dialogue under the direction of the United Nations and Gulf states. Last week, the United States placed two top figures in Yemen's Houthi rebellion on its sanctions blacklist, following suit after the United Nations approved global sanctions on the two. The U.S. Treasury Department named Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and leading backer Ahmed Ali Saleh, son of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, to its blacklist, freezing any assets they might have on U.S. property and forbidding Americans from dealings with them.
