Shiite militia attack Yemen president\\\'s home, seize palace

FE Team | Published: January 22, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

SANAA, Jan 21 (agencies): Shiite militia fighters attacked Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's residence and seized the presidential palace Tuesday in what officials said was a bid to overthrow his embattled government.
As the UN Security Council began an emergency meeting over the unrest, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "gravely concerned" and called for an immediate halt to the fighting.
The past two days have seen a dramatic escalation in violence in Sanaa, raising fears that Hadi's government, a key US ally in its fight against Al-Qaeda, will collapse and the country will descend into chaos.
Information Minister Nadia Sakkaf said the militiamen, known as Huthis, had launched an attack on Hadi's residence, after witnesses reported clashes had erupted at the building in western Sanaa.
He was earlier reported to have been in the residence meeting with his advisers and security officials.
"The Yemeni president is under attack by militiamen who want to overthrow the regime," Sakkaf said on Twitter.
Witnesses said the fighting outside the residence appeared to have subsided after two soldiers were killed.
A military official told AFP the militiamen had also seized the presidential palace in southern Sanaa, where Hadi's offices are located.
"The Huthi militiamen have entered the complex and are looting its arms depots," the official said.
Prominent Huthi member Ali al-Bukhaiti said on Facebook that the fighters "have taken control of the presidential complex".
In New York, Ban urged "all sides to immediately cease all hostilities, exercise maximum restraint, and take the necessary steps to restore full authority to the legitimate government institutions."
The fresh unrest shattered a ceasefire agreed after a bloody day on Monday that saw the Huthis, who overran Sanaa in September, tighten their grip on the capital.
Huthi fighters and government troops fought pitched battles near the presidential palace and in other parts of Sanaa, leaving at least nine people dead and 67 wounded.
The militia seized an army base overlooking the presidential palace, took control of state media and opened fire on a convoy carrying the prime minister from Hadi's residence.
Meanwhile:  Yemen's second city Aden shut its airport in support of President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Wednesday amid growing international concern over attacks by Shiite militia on the authorities.
The powerful militia, known as Huthis, seized almost full control of the capital Sanaa in September and have fought pitched battles with government forces this week as they press for more political power.
At least 18 people have been killed in the fighting that erupted on Monday and dozens more wounded, medical sources said.
On Tuesday, the militia seized Hadi's offices at the presidential palace and attacked his residence, in what officials said was an attempt to overthrow the government.
The UN Security Council condemned the attacks and backed Hadi as Yemen's "legitimate authority".
Gulf foreign ministers were due to hold an emergency meeting in Riyadh Wednesday to discuss the crisis.
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has previously demanded the Huthis withdraw from Sanaa and other parts of the country they seized after sweeping south from their stronghold in Yemen's rugged north.
Aden's main security body said in a statement that it was closing its airport, its seaport and entrances to the city due to "dangerous developments in the capital" and "attacks on the symbol of national sovereignty and constitutional legitimacy."
Aden is the main city in southern Yemen, which was an independent country from 1967 to 1990 and where a separatist movement still exists.
Residents said hundreds of pro-government militia fighters had also arrived in Aden from several southern provinces.
The rising unrest has fuelled longtime divisions in Yemen, where the government, Huthis, southern separatists, powerful Sunni tribes and the local Al-Qaeda branch are all vying for influence.
It has raised fears of a collapse of Hadi's Western-backed government, a key ally in Washington's fight against Al-Qaeda, and the country descending into chaos.