SANAA, September 30 (RIA Novosti) – Dozens of young Yemeni people took to the streets of the nation's capital Sanaa on Tuesday to stage a protest march after Shiite Houthi fighters took control of the city, a RIA Novosti correspondent on the ground reported.
The demonstrators – a mix of students, human rights activists and others – are demanding that rebels stop looting private houses and public buildings, although the latter have so far ignored the pleas and have continued to beef up their positions across Sanaa.
Houthi militants overran the Yemeni capital in mid-September, seizing control of key administrative and military infrastructure, and raiding homes of government officials, including party leaders.
The march was organized by the anti-Houthi protest movement dubbed the February 11 Revolution, which held another demonstration on Sunday, with hundreds calling for militants to leave the city.
The Houthis, who mostly belong to the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, have been accusing the government in Sanaa of discrimination against Zaidis. Since mid-August, they have been up in arms against the incumbent government in Yemen, urging economic and political reforms.
Hundreds of residents were forced to flee the country's capital fearing an escalation in violence when the riots intensified in the past few weeks. About 300 people were killed last week in clashes between government forces and Houthi insurgents.
Over the weekend, the rebels signed an agreement with the government to end the fighting, although the Houthis remain in control of much of Yemen's capital and continue to occupy a number of governmental buildings.
