Advertisement
Advertisement
Yemeni members of the southern separatist movement, fighting on behalf of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, hold a position in Aden.Photo: AFP

Saudis plan to invade and occupy Yemen, rebel leader says

After three weeks of air strikes, the head of Yemen's Houthi militia gave a defiant speech, vowing to resist aggression and blasting the UN

The leader of Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthi militia has accused Saudi Arabia of plotting to seize the country, in a fiery speech suggesting he was in no mood to compromise despite more than three weeks of Saudi-led bombing.

Saudi Arabia's goal is "the invasion of this country, its occupation and placing this country again under its feet and hegemony", Abdel Malek al-Houthi said on Sunday.

"It's the right of our people to resist the aggression and face the aggressor by any means," he added. "The great Yemeni people will never surrender and never be subjugated."

Houthi also rejected as "unfair" a UN Security Council resolution last Tuesday that imposed an arms embargo on his group and demanded that the rebels pull back from territory they have seized. Houthi vowed to put up tough resistance using "all means and options" available, without elaborating.

"Those who believe that our people will give in because of their savage crimes are wrong," said Houthi, urging his supporters to close ranks and be patient.

The air campaign has mostly failed to reverse recent gains by Houthi guerrillas fighting alongside Yemeni army allies.

However, in a blow to the Houthis, a Yemeni commander of a vast military district covering half the country's border with Saudi Arabia pledged support on Sunday to exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, local officials said.

The announcement puts at least 15,000 troops in the desert and mountain border area on the same side as Saudi Arabia, which hosts the embattled Yemeni president in its capital Riyadh.

"Brigadier General Abdulrahman al-Halily of the First Military District announced today his support for constitutional legitimacy as represented by President Hadi," one official said.

Most of Yemen's military is loyal to powerful ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose forces are fighting alongside the Shiite Muslim Houthi militia in battles stretching across Yemen's south and east. But the latest defection brings to about 10 the number of divisions that have switched sides. It may point to a growing sense in the military that momentum favours Hadi.

Beginning last week, most of the army divisions along Yemen's eastern Arabian Sea coast evacuated their posts and handed security of their bases and Yemen's Masila oil fields, the country's largest, to armed Sunni tribes.

Other powerful tribes followed suit on Saturday within the First Military District, announcing after a huge gathering that they supported Hadi and the Saudi-led military operation, in a move which likely encouraged the commander's decision.

"The announcement followed that of the tribes. It would be impossible to oppose their will and continue to live side by side, and there was likely some pressure from Saudi Arabia, which is keen to secure its border," said Radhi Subaih, a political analyst in Seiyun.

Citizens from Hadramawt, Yemen's largest province which stretches from the coast to the Saudi border, are linked closely to the kingdom by family and historical ties.

The remainder of Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen encompasses the northern stronghold of the Houthi guerrillas. The UN and aid partners have repeatedly called for pauses in the fighting so aid can be delivered.

In a statement on Sunday, aid group Oxfam said an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition hit one of its storage facilities in Saada governorate in northern Yemen.

"This is an absolute outrage, particularly when one considers that we have shared detailed information with the coalition on the locations of our offices and storage facilities," country director Grace Ommer said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Saudis plan to invade and occupy, rebel leader says
Post