Nationwide Rallies Held Across Yemen, Criticizing Saudi War
KABUL: (MEP) Thousands of Yemenis have poured to the streets of the capital, Sanaa and other cities on Saturday to criticize Saudi Arabia’s year-long aggression against the impoverished country.
The gathering, one of the biggest in Yemen since mass protests in 2011 forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, took place ahead of a ceasefire and UN-sponsored peace talks next month.
The mass protest at Saba’een Square of the capital city has been widely denounced the Kingdom’s military campaign that has left about 9,400 people dead since March 26, 2015.
“Together against the tyrannical Saudi aggression,” read a large banner in the hand of the demonstrators as Saudi warplanes were flying overhead, reportedly breaking the sound barrier to frighten the protesters.
Yemen has been since March 26, 2015 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led coalition.
The UN envoy announced this week that the warring parties had agreed to a cessation of hostilities starting at midnight on April 10 followed by peace talks in Kuwait from April 18 as part of a fresh push to end the crisis following two rounds of failed talks last year.
Addressing Yemeni people in a televised speech on Friday, Houthi said the Saudi aggression has failed, adding that it has only led to killing of innocent civilians in Yemen.
“One year on, we look at the outcome of this aggression… It was said to be aimed at helping and serving the Yemeni people. (But) this help came in the form of criminal killings and genocide,” Houthi said in the speech, adding, “The aggression and those criminal aggressors have only caused huge damage at all levels in our country and in the rest of the region.”
Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to fugitive president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Saudi Arabia.
