Yemen tribes demand Houthis withdraw from Ibb

Tribes in Yemen’s southern city of Ibb have voiced support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign against Houthi rebels and militias of deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, expressing their support for legitimate President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi.

The tribes demanded that Houthi gunmen immediately withdraw from the entire city without setting any conditions.

They warned that any supplies or military reinforcements aimed to be delivered to Houthi and Saleh-allied militias would not pass through their cities. The tribes feared the supplies would be used by the Houthis to fight southern Yemenis, mostly allied to President Hadi.

The Houthis and Saleh-allied militias seized power in the capital Sanaa in February and last month advanced on the port city of Aden, Hadi’s stronghold, forcing him to go into exile and prompting the Saudi-led airstrikes against the rebels.