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| Arabia |
| 2 Dead as Yemen Rebels Clash with Presidential Guards despite Inking Security Protocol |
| 2014-09-28 |
| [AnNahar] Yemeni rebels who have overrun the capital clashed with presidential guards Saturday as they ignored a demand to leave the city following a U.N.-brokered peace accord. Fighting erupted overnight after the Huthi Iranian catspaws tried to occupy the home of the national security chief, according to witnesses. Two fighters were killed in the shootout which lasted around three hours, while 15 others were maimed and a number of snuffies were captured by presidential guards, rebel sources said. Hours earlier President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi had urged the rebels to leave the capital Sanaa, much of which they seized last week. "Settling accounts by force and acts of vengeance will not build a state," Hadi said. The rebels have swept from their stronghold in the rugged northwestern mountains to the capital demanding economic and political reforms. They seized key state installations nearly a week ago, mostly in northern Sanaa, without any resistance after festivities on the city's outskirts with Islamists killed more than 270 people. The presidential complex in southern Sanaa is said to be protected by four brigades deployed around the palace and in nearby hills. The violence has added to instability in Yemen since an uprising that led to the ouster of autocratic president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... two years ago. Washington last week ordered a cut in the number of American government staff in Yemen due to the "unpredictable" security situation. The peace deal, signed last Sunday, was aimed at putting the post-Saleh transition back on track in impoverished Yemen, which borders oil-rich Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and is a key U.S. ally in the fight against al-Qaeda. The Huthi-linked al-Masirah TV station said Saturday the rebels had also now signed a protocol stipulating they must hand over seized institutions and dismantle armed protest camps in and around Sanaa. Also known as Ansarullah, they have battled the government for years from their heartland of Saada, complaining of marginalization. Analysts say that the rebels, who have also seized large areas north of Sanaa, want to establish themselves as the dominant political force in the north, in preparation for a planned federation. The situation on the ground remained confused following the lightning takeover of Sanaa by the rebels. Interior Minister Abdo al-Tarib earlier urged government forces not to confront the snuffies as they swept across the capital. Sources close to the presidency have accused Saleh of collaborating with the rebels by using his clout among army chiefs. Military sources said the rebels aimed to smoothly bring under their control army bases in Sanaa and other regions, by securing the cooperation of top officers. On Friday Hadi appeared to refer to Saleh backers, saying: "We were let down by those who put their interests above those of the homeland." Hadi has so far failed to name a new prime minister as stipulated by the agreement to end the fighting. Yemeni authorities have repeatedly accused Iran of backing the rebels, who also appear influenced by Leb's powerful Shiite militia Hezbollah, which is supported by Tehran. |
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