Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels issued a statement Tuesday threatening the forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh amid a worsening fallout between the two allies. Saleh and the Houthis are both battling an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia that backs the UN-backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The Popular Committees, which serve as the Houthis’ armed wing, accused Saleh of betraying them and initiating "war."
Tuesday's statement is the latest salvo in a war of words that started Saturday when Houthi leader Abdul Malek al-Houthi accused unnamed parties of seeking peace deals that go against the country’s interests, an implicit rebuke of Saleh. Saleh’s response came the following day, when he criticized the Houthis for what he called their inability to govern.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YEMENI POLICY
The partnership between the al Houthi movement and former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is fracturing. Senior al Houthi leaders accused Saleh of conducting treasonous negotiations with the Gulf States. Saleh denied the accusations and blamed the al Houthis for governance failures in Sana’a. Tensions within the al Houthi-Saleh bloc provide an opportunity for the U.S. to advance a political settlement to the Yemeni conflict. The al Houthi movement lacks the capability to continue the civil war without Saleh’s forces. An elite-brokered peace deal that does not address the grievances driving the war will not end Yemen’s instability, however. [Read Katherine Zimmerman’s recommendations for U.S. engagement in Yemen.]