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A UN-brokered peace deal between Houthi rebels and Yemen's
government has been signed while the Houthis have taken control of
government buildings and a state radio and TV station in the
capital, Sanaa.
Sunday's agreement calls for the current government to rule in a
caretaker role until a new administration is formed next month after
consultations with all political parties.
Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi urged all sides to abide by
the deal.
Journalist
Peter Salisbury said the
agreement aimed to get the Houthis to leave the capital. However a
section which was not signed by the Houthis stipulated that they
were to withdraw from Sanaa, Jawf and Amran within 45 days.
"The fighting didn't stop because of the deal, but because the
Houthis had achieved their military aims in Sanaa."
He said clashes were ongoing in other parts of the country,
including Maarib to east of the capital.
On Sunday the rebels took over government buildings in the capital
including the defence ministry, the army headquarters, the
parliament building, the central bank and the national radio
station.
Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Sanaa, said that most were
taken over without fighting, which he referred to as a "capitulation
of sorts" by the army.
He added that soldiers from the army had been seen changing into
civilian clothes to avoid being "arrested by the Houthis".
PM resigns
Journalist
Iona Craig
,
also in Sanaa, reported later in the day that fighting had
stopped while politicians gathered in southern Sanaa.
"Some people are claiming this is a coup, and others are saying [Houthis]
have legitimate demands ... but they have gone further than anybody
really anticipated. They are Yemen's strongest fighting force and
they've beaten the army several times.
"They've said this afternoon that they want to try to protect
government buildings within the city, which to many people would
seem like a coup attempt."
Earlier on Sunday, Mohammed Salem Basindwa tendered his resignation
as prime minister and criticised the president's performance in this
crisis and for not participating fully in the national dialogue
process.
Curfew in place
On Saturday, the state TV headquarters in Sanaa was captured by the
Shia rebels after coming under heavy shelling, while the country's
Supreme Security Commission, chaired by the president, ordered a
curfew in four areas north and west of the capital between 9pm and
6am.
More than 100 people have died in fighting since Thursday, sparked
by weeks of protests and clashes. It also prompted the suspension of
international flights to Sanaa and the interruption of broadcasts by
state television.
Thousands of Houthis have staged more than a month of protests in
Sanaa, besieging ministries and blocking the road to the main
airport.
The Houthis are a Zaidi Shia group whose traditional power base is
in the north. Their leaders want
a new
government
and more political power.
The government's plans for a six-region federation has been rejected
by the Houthis and the southern separatists.
Source: Al Jazeera |
