Yemen: Thousands rally in Taiz against Houthis

By Mohammad El-Sami'e

Yemen (AA) - Thousands of Yemenis Thursday took out a rally in southern the country, demanding the government liberate the Taiz governorate from the Houthi group and restore security to the city.

The rally was organized by a non-governmental association “Families of Martyrs” in Taiz city where protesters raised slogans calling on the government to confront the Houthi rebels.

A statement read by the rally’s organizers called on the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led Arab coalition to support the liberation of Taiz governorate from the Houthis and confront, what it described as, the "Persian ambitions" in Yemen.

On Sunday, four civilians were killed and 6 others injured in clashes between armed groups in the southern governorate.

Following the incident, 13 advocacy groups urged the security forces to protect civilians in the Taiz governorate.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara