Houthis, Supporters of Saleh Open ‘New Page’ of Alliance

SANAA (Sputnik) – Yemen’s Houthi rebels and supporters of the country’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the Houthis in December 2017, decided to open a new page of cooperation to fight against the Saudi-led coalition, a high-ranking source in the General People's Congress party founded by Saleh told Sputnik on Monday.

In November, tensions between the Houthi rebels and Saleh escalated. On December 4, shortly after reaffirming the end of his alliance with the Houthis, Saleh was killed by the Yemeni rebels.

“As part of the political agreement between the Ansar Allah movement [Houthis] and the General People's Congress, aimed at ending the December tensions, all political and military prisoners will be released excluding five persons that will be held by the movement including Saleh’s relatives … The agreement is aimed at opening a new page [in relations] between the main allies who are fighting against the Arab coalition headed by Saudi Arabia,” the source said.

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On Sunday, the General People's Congress elected a new leader – Sadeq Amin Abu Rass, who held high government posts under the rule of Saleh.

In Yemen, since August 2014, the confrontation between the government forces and the Houthi rebels continues. The confrontation passed in the active phase after the invasion of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia in March 2015.