Houthis take over Yemeni army base in Sana’a

Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah fighters have seized a military base in the capital, Sana’a, after overnight clashes with army forces.

The fighters took over an army camp of Yemeni special forces after six hours of clashes that extended into the early hours of Wednesday, al-Sahwa Net website reported.

Sources told al-Sahwa that Houthis shelled the camp with tanks and heavy weaponry before they gained control over it. Dozens of people from both sides have been killed or wounded.

On Monday, Houthi revolutionaries stated that they would detain Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and all cabinet members, and try them for treason in case they do not resume their duties.

President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Bahah’s cabinet resigned on January 22, after Ansarullah fighters seized the presidential palace in the capital. The parliament, however, rejected Hadi’s resignation.

In September 2014, the fighters gained control of Sana’a. Houthis had set a deadline for the political parties to put aside differences and fill the power vacuum, but the deadline was missed without any change in the country’s political scene.

The Houthi movement played a key role in the 2011 popular uprising that forced dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to quit after 33 years in power.