Houthis have ordered local banks to disclose account statements and assets of dozens of slain former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's relatives and leaders of the General People's Congress as part of the clampdown on anyone opposing the insurgents.
These developments coincided with the former president's half-brother Major General Ali Saleh al-Ahmar arriving in Maerib governorate that falls under the control of the legitimate government.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in Sana'a told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias sent memos to all banks asking for information on 32 accounts of Saleh’s supporters and in-laws, including Mohammed Mahdi Mequla, Mohsen Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Ahmad al-Kahlani, Yahya Mujahid Abu Shawareb, Nabil Hayel Saeed Anam, Ashraf al-Kahlani and others.
Meanwhile, GPC officials from various governorates confirmed during a meeting in Maerib that they support the national army and legitimacy, represented by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, to liberate Yemeni territories from the control of "Houthi terrorist militias".
Yasser al-Awadhi, a leading figure of the GPC, confirmed his rejection to keep ties with Houthi militias in the internationally unrecognized coup government.
Awadhi said in a series of tweets that the party's top priority is to "reunite its ranks and heal its wounds.”
He added that another priority would be releasing prisoners and detainees and regaining GPC headquarters, property and media, so that it can exercise its role freely in line with the constitution and the law.
He concluded: “Either we live in dignity or die with honor. This is my personal opinion and I respect every other opinion."
Awadhi’s tweets implicitly reveal what Asharq Al-Awsat uncovered earlier about disputes among Congress officials, who were divided between those supporting Houthis (out of fear of repression) and those refusing the union with them.
Houthi militias have cracked down and arrested thousands of party members, confiscating property and assets of the former president and his relatives, and seizing control of the party's headquarters and media.
GPC sources revealed that former president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s half-brother, Brigadier Ali Saleh al-Ahmar, has reached Maerib governorate after escaping from Houthi-controlled Sana’a.
Ahmar was previously the commander of the Republican Guard, and also served as the head of the office of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces because of his military experience and relations with high-ranking officials and tribal figures.
Ahmar is the first of Saleh’s relatives to reach safety in a legitimate forces controlled area.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that he will most likely leave the country to join his family members abroad. Other sources predicted he will have military roles in the near future as part of the national army’s campaign against Houthis that killed his brother.
