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The commemoration of the republican revolution in Yemen has become a symbolic weapon against the Houthis, as September 26 has turned into an occasion for “soft” resistance to the militias.

The celebration of the 63rd anniversary of the revolution, which toppled the imamate — now revived in the form of the Houthi movement — carries deep political significance. It reflects the widespread popular rejection of the imamate in its new guise, as many Yemenis stress.

On this occasion, citizens insist on raising the republican flag in streets and buildings and lighting the flame of the revolution, even in Sanaa and Ibb under Houthi control, reaffirming their republican oath and challenging the militia’s iron grip.

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A flame against Houthi repression

Yemenis lit the revolutionary flame in Mokha, Taiz, and Marib, while residents in Houthi-controlled areas set fire to rooftops and burned car tires to break the militia’s dominance.

The Houthis failed to prevent residents of Ibb — hometown of revolutionary leader Ali Abdelmoghni — from lighting the flame. Videos circulated online showed hundreds celebrating despite the abduction of more than 30 locals by the Houthis in al-Sadda district.

In Baadan, Houthis arrested a young man, Laith Hassan Naji Malhi, for raising the national flag. In neighboring Dhamar, several political leaders, activists, and journalists were detained, including senior socialist figure Dr. Aidh al-Sayyadi, for attempting to mark the anniversary.

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In Sanaa, Houthi intelligence abducted lawyer Abdelmajid Sabra as part of a wider crackdown that targeted hundreds.

In Hodeidah, sources reported heavy militia deployment across the streets and neighborhoods, with orders prohibiting citizens from raising the flag or celebrating the September 26 Revolution.

Under pressure, the General People’s Congress issued a statement warning against joining the commemorations, describing them as “calls for sedition.”

Yemeni journalist Radwan al-Hamdani said the Houthis experience a state of “hysteria” in Sanaa whenever the anniversary approaches, a sign, he argued, of the group’s looming downfall.

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Taiz, Mokha, and Marib: Messages of Defiance

In government-controlled cities such as Taiz, Mokha, and Marib, thousands gathered to mark the 63rd anniversary of the September 26, 1962 Revolution, with strong public participation and the presence of political leaders.

Crowds flocked to Mokha, raising national flags and portraits of the revolution’s martyrs, chanting slogans reaffirming commitment to the revolution’s goals, defending the republican system, and pledging to continue resisting the Houthis.

On the eve of the anniversary, Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi vowed to “restore the Republic and state sovereignty,” stressing that “after 11 years of a Houthi coup marked by killings and atrocities, the spirit of resistance remains unshaken and victory is drawing near.”

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