Sanaa // Tens of thousands of Yemenis filled the streets of cities across the country on Sunday in support of the former president after he escaped from house arrest in the capital.
As the protests took place, Abdrabu Mansur Hadi sought to resume his duties as head of state, meeting with governors of several southern provinces and military commanders at the presidential retreat in Aden.
Mr Hadi had been held in Sanaa for more than a month by the rebels who have taken over the northern half of the country. On Saturday, he managed to escape the capital and flee to Aden in the south which is still controlled by his supporters.
Protests against the Houthis, a group with roots in the Shiite Zaidi sect, took place in seven Yemeni provinces, the biggest being in Taiz and Sanaa.
They demanded that Mr Hadi fight against the coup, that the Houthis leave the cities they have captured since September and that they hand power back to the transitional government.
“We will not accept to be ruled by a militant group that oppresses and attacks anyone who opposes them,” said Khaled Al Anesi, one of the leading anti-Houthi activists in Yemen.
“The Houthis’ agenda will never be accepted in Yemen and we will stand against their coup until they fall and their leaders are imprisoned for killing innocent Yemenis.”
In Taiz, tens of thousands took to the streets to support Mr Hadi and bless his arrival in Aden.
They carried placards reading, “Houthi gang should not be allowed to rule” and “We are all with constitutional legitimacy”.
The Houthis had promised to withdraw thousands of fighters from the capital as part of a ceasefire deal signed with the government in September, but instead extended their grip across the north of the country.
After he was placed under house arrest, Mr Hadi offered his resignation, but the Houthis failed to form a government of their own, or reach a deal with other political factions. Parliament has yet to meet to accept Mr Hadi's resignation.
The militants, who come from the northern Saada province and are accused of being backed by Iran, have tightened their grip on power over the last three weeks.
But the delay in forming a government may have cost them. In a statement on Saturday after his escape, Mr Hadi withdrew his resignation, condemned the Houthi coup and said all the decisions and appointments made since September by the militants were illegal and invalid.
Mr Hadi called for political talks in Sanaa to be halted and instead reconvened in Aden or Taiz until the militants leave the capital. He is expected in the coming days to designate Aden as the temporary capital.
“Houthi militants use force even on the negotiation table. They have no idea how to administer a government. All political factions were sidelined only because they differed with them,” said Baligh Al Mikhlafi, a spokesman for the independent Justice and Building party.
“They have no allies today and political factions saw new life with the return of President Hadi.”
Mr Hadi also ordered military and non-military institutions to oppose the Houthis and to adhere to his rule.
He reaffirmed his commitment to a 2011 Gulf-sponsored power transfer deal that allowed his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down following months of Arab Spring protests, sources at the meeting told Reuters.
Mr Hadi managed to flee house arrest with the help of 24 soldiers from the presidential guard, according to a number of officials and aides to the president. The exact details of his escape are unclear, however.
His arrival in Aden came a week after government officials, members of parliament, and military leaders held a National Congress in the city, calling for a united front against the Houthis and designating Aden as the new capital.
“They attacked President Hadi and killed his relatives in Sanaa. He is now in Aden among his supporters who will back him and not allow Houthis to reach him,” said Salem Ba Suraih, a southern political leader in the city.
Tribes in Hadramout and Shabwa provinces are also mobilising to unite against the Houthis and sign up thousands of tribal fighters to protect oil and gas projects from a takeover.
Tribal leaders in Marib and Jawf provinces announced their readiness to fight the Houthis if given orders by Mr Hadi.
“We will not allow the Houthis to enter our lands and will fight until the last man. We have a president and Yemenis will stand by him to retake the country from the hands of lawless militants,” said Ali Al Zaedi, a tribal leader in Marib.
“Houthis are after the wealth of the province and we will not allow that to happen at all costs.”
The turmoil in Yemen comes amid growing concerns by Western and regional countries over the threat from Al Qaeda. All western and most Arab embassies have shut down in Sanaa because of the security threat.
Last week, Al Qaeda seized the base of the national army’s 19th Brigade in Shabwa province and looted its weapons. A day later it attacked the Shabwa Central Prison and freed senior Al Qaeda figures.
* Additional reporting by Associated Press
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