Role of Houthis in Yemeni revolution

The 2011 revolution in Yemen ended up with some opposition parties signing a US and Saudi-backed peace initiative that gave power to ousted dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh’s deputy Abd Rebbu Mansour Hadi.

For two consecutive years, the opposition parties who had promised to meet the demands of the revolutionaries simply abandoned those promises in exchange for a share in power.

But then came the real revolution. In July 2014, Yemen’s government nearly doubled the prices of fuel. This led to Houthi leader Abd al-Malek al Houthi calling on his supporters and Yemeni people to revolt against the government.

Abd al-Malek’s supporters and Yemenis responded to the call and started to organize mass rallies in the heart of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, demanding the fall of the government. This was also followed by the revolutionaries entering Sana’a from different provinces to join the struggle.

After Houthi’s takeover of Sana’a, the Yemeni government signed an agreement with the revolutionaries to meet their demands by restoring fuel subsidies and forming a new government along with other demands.

On September 22, Yemenis celebrated a historic victory, whereby the real demands of the people have finally been met.

In this edition of INfocus, we will review the momentous Houthi-led Yemeni revolution.