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Houthi Militants Seize Yemeni Presidential Palace in Sanaa

© AP Photo / Hani MohammedHouthi Shiite Yemeni stand guard in front of a building damaged during recent clashes near the presidential palace in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015.
Houthi Shiite Yemeni stand guard in front of a building damaged during recent clashes near the presidential palace in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. - Sputnik International
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Houthi militants seized the Yemeni presidential palace a day after a ceasefire had been reached following violent clashes in the county's capital.

Houthi Shiite rebels ride on a military truck while patrolling a street in Sanaa, Yemen - Sputnik International
Houthi Rebels, Yemeni Presidential Guards Agree on Ceasefire
CAIRO, January 20 (Sputnik) – Houthi rebels have managed to seize the presidential palace in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a military source told Sputnik Tuesday.

The capture comes a day after Houthi rebels and members of the presidential guard reached a ceasefire agreement following unrest in Sanaa. The ceasefire started at 16:30 local time (13:30 GMT) after violent clashes outside the presidential palace earlier Monday.

Confrontation in Yemen started Saturday when presidential chief of staff Ahmed Awad Mubarak and two of his guards were kidnapped. Investigators suspect the Houthis, who had opposed Ahmed Mubarak's nomination for prime minister, to be behind the abduction.

Shi'ite Houthi fighters ride a truck - Sputnik International
Houthis Given 24-Hour Ultimatum to Release Abducted Yemeni Official
In response to the kidnapping, leaders of Yemen's southern provinces ordered that oil and gas companies in the provinces of Shabwa, Marib, and Hadramaut halt operations.

The Houthis are the main opposition movement in Yemen, and played a major role in ousting the country's former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012. The group staged large-scale protests and occupied a number of cities in 2014, demanding the resignation of the government, which they say is corrupt and has marginalized the Shiite community.

In September 2014, the Houthi insurgency spread over to Yemen's capital Sanaa, and from there militia have advanced into central and western parts of the country.

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