Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi condemns the takeover of the Yemeni government by a Shiite militia as a “coup” that would trigger more violence in the troubled member state.
On Friday, the Houthi militia, which has controlled the capital Sanaa since last September, dissolved the government and parliament, and installed a presidential council, throwing the divided country into further disarray.
Houthi Shiite Yemenis hold their weapons during a rally to show support for their comrades in Sanaa, Yemen, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 (photo credit: AP/Hani Mohammed)
The Houthis’ decree establishing transitional bodies outside the framework of a UN-brokered dialogue, was a “coup against constitutional legitimacy to impose that group’s will at gunpoint,” Arabi says in a statement.
The move by the Shiite militia, which has caused alarm among Yemen’s mostly Sunni Gulf Arab neighbours, would lead to “an increase in divisions and violence,” he adds.
Yemen’s Western-backed president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi had been under virtual house arrest since the Huthis seized the presidential palace and key government buildings last month, prompting him to tender his resignation to parliament.
— AFP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
