Yemeni leader leaves Sanaa after weeks of house arrest

22/02/2015| IslamWeb

Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who quit last month as Yemen's president following pressure from Shia Houthi rebels, has managed to slip house arrest and reportedly fled to the city of Aden.

Hadi left his home in the capital Sanaa, which was under siege from Shia Houthi rebels who forced him to resign. The house was reportedly ransacked, Al Jazeera correspondents reported.

Talks between the country's warring factions were immediately suspended after Hadi escaped house arrest, sources told Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelberra, who has covered Yemen extensively, said the port city of Aden is Hadi's stronghold with "thousands of supporters" loyal to him.

"He was taken in a convoy to Aden. He is now in Aden … This is going to be a major setback for the Houthis who, for some reason, wanted him confined for a longer period in his house," said our correspondent.

"In Aden he is definitely going to be greeted as a hero. Aden is his power base and, as a Sunni, he will have massive support."

Our correspondent said that given Hadi's health problems, he may announce he has quit and leave the country to seek medical treatment in neighboring Saudi Arabia or the US.

He may also be persuaded by secessionists and powerful tribesmen in Aden, who see him as a legitimate leader, to demand to be reinstated, our correspondent added.

Protesters targeted

The news came as Houthi fighters opened fire on protesters in the central Yemeni city of Ibb on Saturday, killing one person and wounding another, activists said.

The crowd had gathered in a square after a new power-sharing deal was reached on Friday to demonstrate against the Houthis' role in overturning Hadi's government last month.

Following the shooting, thousands more people took to the streets in protest. Witnesses said the Houthis were deploying more security forces in response.

Yemen's feuding political parties agreed on Friday to create a transitional council to help govern the country and allow a government to continue operating with input from rival factions after the effective Houthi takeover.

PHOTO CAPTION

Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi

Al-Jazeera