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Houthis Exerting Pressure to Control Yemen’s General People’s Congress

Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)
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Houthis Exerting Pressure to Control Yemen’s General People’s Congress

Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have demanded from their loyalists in the General People’s Congress (GPC) in Sanaa to pressure a prominent member of the party to step down from his position as head of its parliamentary bloc.

The Houthis are seeking the ouster of Sultan al-Burkani and several other members of the GPC in order to complete their takeover of the party that used to be headed by late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh until his assassination by the militias in December.

The Houthis are seeking complete control of the GPC to transform it into a political arm that can serve their agenda in upcoming negotiations with United Nations special envoy Martin Griffiths.

This prompted leading member of the party and parliament Speaker Yehya al-Rahi to boycott for over a week parliament meetings in protest against the Houthi actions. The militias took no heed, however, and forced lawmakers to hold parliament sessions even though they hold no legal basis.

Partisan sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity that the militias ordered GPC lawmakers in Sanaa to oust Burkani from the leadership of the bloc and chose tribal leader MP Zeid Abou Ali as his replacement.

The militias informed their loyalist MPs that they no longer want Burkani to remain in his post given his anti-Houthi stances. Other GPC figures have adopted similar stances and they have been ordered by the Houthis to change them.

In addition, the sources revealed that the militias were seeking to appoint the prime minister of their illegal government, Abdulaziz Habtoor, as GPC secretary general. They also want to appoint pro-Houthi Tareq al-Shami as his assistant secretary general.

They said that the majority of GPC members in Sanaa were no longer able to refuse any Houthi demand given the harassment they are facing. Many others have joined their cause after being lured by money and out of fear of reprisals.

Despite the challenges, more than one source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sanaa GPC leaderships are informing leaderships outside of the Houthi-held capital of their oppression. They explained that they are forced to take decisions against their will and this has been met with understanding from their peers.

Coordination is meanwhile ongoing between GPC members in Sanaa and others elsewhere over the resumption of peace negotiations.

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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
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MSF Suspends Operations at Key Hospital in Sudan's Capital

FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
FILE - South Sudanese people sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, on May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

Medical aid agency MSF said on Friday it has been forced to suspend its activities at one of the few remaining hospitals in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, cutting off yet another lifeline for those who remain in the Sudanese capital.
War has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
The hospital, which lies in territory controlled by the RSF, helped treat the victims of frequent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as hundreds of malnourished women and children in an area where two neighborhoods have been judged at risk of famine, reported Reuters.
"In the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients," MSF said in a statement.
"Despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders, these attacks have continued in recent months. MSF has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all medical activities in the hospital."
The fighting in Sudan has cut off up to 80% of hospitals in conflict areas, where millions who cannot afford to escape the violence remain. Civilians face frequent air and artillery fire and hunger as supplies are blocked by both warring parties and prices skyrocket.
Medical facilities, including MSF-supported ones that have suspended operations, have frequently come under attack by RSF soldiers demanding treatment or looting supplies. Bashair Hospital has served more than 25,000 people, MSF said, including 9,000 hurt by blasts, gunshot wounds, and other violence.
"Sometimes dozens of people arrived at the hospital at the same time after shelling or airstrikes on residential areas and markets," MSF said in the statement, citing an incident on Sunday where an airstrike one kilometer away drove 50 people to the emergency room, 12 of them already dead.