Shiite rebels holding Yemen’s embattled president captive in his own home reached a deal Wednesday night to end a violent confrontation in the capital. Some questions and answers regarding Yemen and the Houthis:
Q: Who are the Houthis?
A: The Houthi movement started as a small religious group called “The Believing Youth,” which sought to revive Zaydism, a Shiite sect to which about 30 percent of Yemenis, mainly in the north, belong. After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Hussein al-Houthi capitalized on anger over the war to launch an armed revolt against the U.S.-allied president at the time, autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh. The war ended in a 2010 cease-fire. Houthis also enjoy support among disenchanted tribesmen who had suffered from Saleh’s military campaigns.
Q: What is the Houthis’ goal?
A: After Saleh’s 2012 ouster following Arab Spring protests, the Houthis’ power grew. In September, the Houthis seized the capital, Sana, after besieging it for weeks under the pretext that they wanted a new government and the reinstatement of fuel subsidies. Since then, the Houthis have overrun at least eight out of 21 provinces, including Hodeida, which has the country’s second-largest port. The Associated Press
