Yemen Monitor/Sa’ada/Exclusive:
On Monday, dozens of residents expressed their anger towards Houthi supervisors in Sa’ada province, the stronghold of the armed group in northern Yemen. This comes amid tension between two factions within the Houthi movement.
The protests, which took place in the provincial capital of Sa’ada city and other parts of the province, are a rare occurrence in the Houthi stronghold. They come amid growing public discontent with the group’s rule, which has been marked by corruption, mismanagement, and a failure to provide basic services.
A protest took place in Saqayn district (“Bani Baher” according to the new Houthi administrative division) denouncing the injustices against their tribe in “Erw” village.
The protest came in response to the Houthi group’s arrest of two “religious guides” three days earlier. The tribes had summoned them to their mosques following the Houthis refusal of the tribe demands and protests they organized a few weeks ago.
According to the sources, the armed group has deployed significant military reinforcements and an unprecedented security deployment, and has launched raids and search campaigns against the residents.
These protests come amid growing public anger with the Houthi group, which has controlled the province since 2014. Residents accuse the Houthis of corruption and mismanagement, and of failing to provide basic services.
Tribal sources told Yemen monitor that the demonstration was attended by dozens and demanded to lift the injustice against the tribe and change the village supervisors who practice injustice and tyranny against the residents.
The protesters also demanded respect for the tribe, responding to its rightful and just demands for change and meeting basic needs.
A tribal source said that a group started promoting the accusation of collaborating with the enemy against the residents of the “Eru” village, which fought for many years in the Houthi side, but they denied its demands, despite providing more than 100 Houthi martyr, according to a senior tribal source who spoke to Yemen Monitor.
The protest on Monday demanded the change of the Houthi supervisors, providing basic services to the village, and allowing the group of Abdul-Adheem al-Houthi to teach in the mosques of the village.
According to special tribal information, the situation has become tense in Sa’ada province between the group of Abdulmalik al-Houthi and the group of Abdul-Adheem al-Houthi, and there are military mobilizations by both parties, but the residents of the “Eru” village preferred the peaceful option and stressed that they will not give up their demands despite the arrests, kidnapping, and Houthi mobilization against them.
These protests indicate that the Houthi group is facing a growing challenge to its control over Sa’ada.
