Thursday, January 22, 2015
Associated Press
SANAA, YEMEN
Shiite rebels holding Yemen’s president captive in his home reached a deal with the U.S.-backed leader Wednesday to end a violent standoff in the capital, fueling fears that a key ally in the battle against al-Qaida has been sidelined.
The late-night agreement, which promises the rebels greater say in running the Arab world’s poorest nation in exchange for removing its fighters from President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s residence and key areas of the capital, left unclear who really controls the country.
In the deal, carried on the official SABA news agency, the Houthi rebels also agreed to release a top aide to Hadi that they had kidnapped in recent days.
The Houthis, who seized control of the capital and many state institutions in September, say they only want an equal share of power. Critics say they want to retain Hadi as president in name only, while keeping an iron grip on power.
The power vacuum has raised fears that Yemen’s al-Qaida’s branch, which claimed the recent attack on a French satirical weekly and is considered by Washington to be the terror group’s most-dangerous affiliate, will only grow more powerful as Yemen slides toward fragmentation and the conflict takes on an increasingly sectarian tone. The Shiite Houthis and Sunni terror group are sworn enemies.
After days of violent clashes and the seizure of the presidential palace, aides to Hadi said early Wednesday that he was “captive” in his home after Houthi rebels removed his guards and deployed their own fighters.