Fugitive Hadi urges [P]GCC to intervene militarily in Yemen

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

Fugitive Hadi urges [P]GCC to intervene militarily in Yemen

Yemen's fugitive president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi © AFP

Yemen’s fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, has reportedly called on Persian Gulf Arab countries to intervene militarily in Yemen against Ansarullah revolutionaries of Houthi movement.

Hadi asked for the military intervention of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) in Yemen after two fighter jets targeted his residence in the southern port city of Aden over the weekend, said Riad Yassin, who served as foreign minister in Hadi’s cabinet.

Yassin made the remarks in an interview with two Saudi-owned media, Al-Hadath TV and Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Monday.

A girl holds a picture of Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a rally against US and Saudi intervention in Yemen, Sana’a, March 6, 2015. © AFP

Yassin stated that Yemen’s fugitive president also made a request to the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over the country in a bid to prevent Ansarullah revolutionaries from using airports in areas under their control.

"Time is not on our side," he added, saying the Houthis are continuing to advance towards Aden.

The remarks came ahead of an Arab Summit due to be held on March 28 and 29 in Egypt. It is not yet known if Hadi will be able to leave the strife-torn country for the summit.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal © AFP

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal voiced concerns about the growing power of Ansarullah revolutionaries in Yemen, warning that Riyadh is ready to “take the necessary measures” against Houthis.

In late 2009 and early 2010, Riyadh launched airstrikes against the positions of Ansarullah revolutionaries near the Saudi border. Back then, Houthis were fighting Yemen’s long-ruling dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was a staunch ally of the Saudi regime.

On Sunday, fighters of Ansarullah movement managed to take control of the southwestern Yemeni city of Ta'izz, a strategic city between the capital, Sana’a, and Aden, after defeating forces loyal to the country’s fugitive president.

On the same day, leader of Ansarullah fighters Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are financing acts of terror in the Middle East region and beyond. He made the remarks after three bomb attacks left over 140 people killed and more than 350 others injured in Sana’a on March 20.

A Yemeni man inspects the damage following a bomb explosion at the Badr mosque in southern Sana’a, March 20, 2015. © AFP

In late January, Hadi, along with the cabinet of Premier Khaled Bahah, stepped down over pressure from the Ansarullah revolutionaries, but the Yemeni parliament did not approve their resignation.

Hadi fled his home in the capital Sana’a on February 21 after weeks under effective house arrest and went to Aden, Yemen’s second largest city, where he officially withdrew his resignation and highlighted his intention to resume duties.

FNR/NT/AS