Top ally of slain Yemen ex-president flees capital: sources

The deputy head of Yemen's rebel administration has fled a crackdown by Houthi insurgents in Sanaa following the killing of his ally, ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, sources said Wednesday.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

14 December, 2017

The deputy head of Yemen's rebel administration has fled a crackdown by Houthi insurgents [Getty]

The deputy head of Yemen's rebel administration has fled a crackdown by Houthi insurgents in Sanaa following the killing of his ally, ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, sources said on Wednesday.

Qasim al-Kasadi, a senior official in Saleh's General People's Congress party, escaped the capital for his hometown in Baida province, tribal sources and an official close to Saleh told AFP.

The central province is under the control of Yemen's internationally recognized government, where Kasadi enjoys the protection of his tribe.

His escape follows the bloody unraveling of a three-year governing alliance between the GPC and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The GPC battled the rebels earlier this month for control of Sanaa, but appears to have lost all direction after its veteran leader, Saleh, was gunned down by Huthi fighters on Dec. 4.

In the wake of the strongman's killing, the Houthis pledged to protect members of the GPC, but the rival party has reported a massive crackdown.

There was no indication Kasadi had joined the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, which is based in the southern city of Aden and backed by Saudi-led military coalition.

More than 8,750 people have been killed since Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the government's fight against the Huthis in 2015, triggering what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.