Yemeni Rebels Attack Presidential Palace in Coup Bid
Kat De Guzman | | Jan 21, 2015 11:34 AM EST |
(Photo : REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH) Houthi fighters stand near a damaged guard post at a Presidential Guards barracks they took over on a mountain overlooking the Presidential Palace in Sanaa January 20, 2015.
Yemen rebels have attacked the presidential palace in Yemen, and have also surrounded the leader's residence Tuesday, in a coup attempt against the government, which has been an ally of the U.S. in its fight against terrorist group Al-Qaeda.
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The rebels were identified as part of the Houthi rebel faction that is believed to be supported by Iranians militants has marked a major delay for Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Hadi was unharmed and survived the attack but the leader of the rebels noted that their attacks have no limit if the president does not impose plans that would give more power to the insurgents.
If the Yemen government continues to collapse, the country will be having a civil war that would make the country end up like the current situation of Syria. Yemen is the home of the most powerful branch of the al-Qaeda identified as the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The position of Hadi has already weakened and this means that Washington might be in trouble as they have heavily relied on the president in order to carry out drone strikes in the targeted areas controlled by AQAP. However, it is not yet clear if the Houthis have ordered the strikes to be suspended against the al-Qaeda faction as they are enemies with the said group.
Information Minister Nadia Sakkaf of Yemen has released a tweet that the Yemeni president has been attacked by the armed militias who wanted to take control of the government. She adds that the presidential palace was attacked since three in the afternoon and that it was still ongoing at the time of the tweet.
In the past days, the Houthis also took control of media outlets and other government-owned buildings such as the Yemeni intelligence service. The rebel's leader Abdulmalik Houthi has delivered a statement that was televised as he called on the people announcing that there was a change of leadership. He pointed out that Hadi was a corrupt official and has failed to united the country who has been undergoing civil unrest for years now and also added that the water shortage was a growing problem that the president could not solve.
The Houthis continued to advance and according to a Yemeni journalist, Hakim Almasmari, Hadi cannot do anything about these as he has lack of support from the military. With this, the Security Countil of Yemen said they will stand with Hadi and his government will keep its citizens stable and secured.
TagsYemen rebels, Houthis, Al-qaeda, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, politics, government
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