Yemen’s Houthi rebels moved on Tuesday to take more control of the capital Sanaa, a day after agreeing with the president on a power-sharing deal, which observers see with a jaundiced eye.
Hundreds of heavily armed rebels set up checkpoints on major roads in the capital while others patrolled the streets, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi said the country was facing a “conspiracy” and vowed to restore the “authority of the state.”
"Sanaa is facing a conspiracy that will lead toward civil war," he said in a speech.
Under the conditions of the agreement signed on Monday, the present government will resign and President Hadi will appoint a team of Houthi advisors. The advisors would then nominate the members of the governments, while the president retains the right to choose the key ministers of foreign affairs, interior, defense and finance.
The agreement with the Houthis was signed hours after the rebel group seized strategic positions in the capital Sanaa, with President Hadi telling the nation in a televised address that the deal was necessary to “prevent an ordeal for the country.”
Hamdan Al-Shihri, a Riyadh-based political analyst , told Al Arabiya News that the Houthis are unlikely to honor the agreement with President Hadi, despite that it is in their favor.
He said the rebels have realized that they can achieve their goals through military force on the ground, which makes them unlikely to engage in any serious political process.
“Houthis will not accept any treaties. They will keep demanding and they will keep breaking promises,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Sharqieh, of the Brookings Doha Center, said “the agreement will hold on the short run as the Houthis are in full control of the capital.”
“We have not seen a serious opponent emerging from the other crowds to challenge the Houthis taking over of the government.”
April Alley, an Arabian Peninsula analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group think-tank, said that the deal was a “positive step” given that most of the violence had diminished after its signing.
“By doing so, all of the groups avoided – at least temporarily – what could have sparked a civil war with sectarian undertones,” said Alley.
However, the Houthis did not ratify all of the deal. One section that was not signed by the Houthis stipulated that they were to withdraw from Sana and the governments of Jawf and Amran within 45 days.
Additionally, some of the actions of the Houthis after signing the initiative, like surrounding and entering houses of their political rivals – including the residence of the army general who leads the army’s elite 1st Armored Division – “bodes poorly for peace,” she added.
Some experts said that the power-sharing deal may not last long.
“They got what they want, they won the military conflict and are in effect imposing their will on the government,” said Charles Schmitz, a specialist on the Middle East and Yemen and lecturer at U.S.-based Towson University, adding that the agreement was a significant victory for the Houthis.

Houthi takeover of Sanaa deals blow to power-sharing deal

'Sanaa is facing a conspiracy that will lead toward civil war,' Yemen's president said in a speech. (File Photo: AFP)
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:44 - GMT 06:44
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