Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Houthis Up Sana’a Inspections as Threat of Losing Influence Rises | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A Yemeni boy stands in front of a damaged house in the village of Bani Matar, 70 kilometers West of Sana’a, on April 4, 2015. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAIS


Aden-Yemeni coup members, largely composed of Houthis and fighters supporting ousted former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have stepped up their security detail in Sana’a on Wednesday, well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

The security upgrade tracks down the actions of citizens. It showcases militias’ fears of losing their de facto capital, Sana’a.

Forces backing the legitimate and elected government headed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, such as the national army and the Popular Resistance, have been recently closing in to areas near Sana’a.

An officer at the insurgency self-styled ministry of interior told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that many warehouses in Sana’a have raised many suspicions as to stockpiled artillery and weapons.

The official also reports on the lack of trust among coup authorities, and the wavering control over the security over occupied territories.

Among the extra measures implemented by Houthis is the establishment of more checkpoints—eye witnesses say that Houthi militants violate citizens’ privacy and carry out extreme vetting. Civilians are having their luggage and personal go under inspection in addition to answering to demands on proof of identification.

A Yemen affairs expert, Najib Gholab, who is the head of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Unity Forum, says that the insurgency is caught up in a corner with it losing large swathes of land to legitimacy powers exhibits now a frantic state of emergency.

Gholab explained that Houthis asking civilians to cooperate is a dashing confirmation that the insurgency now suffers a state of disarray and desperately attempts to control whatever influence it still has in Yemen.

Houthi propaganda also works on redirecting public opinion so that it is convinced with Iran-backed leadership.