Political Conflict – How did it ignite differences within the Houthis again?
Disagreements within Yemen’s Houthi militias are once again coming to the fore following the intensification of political conflict within the Iranian-affiliated group.
Informed sources revealed that there has been disintegration and many divisions within the Houthi Cabinet since the announcement of its formation recently, despite all the attempts of the group to mislead and show the contrary.
The sources said that Mahdi Al-Mashat had ordered the Houthi Prime Minister to have several deputy ministers present to act as ministers absent from the meeting, due to the disagreements that have recently hit the Council, after more than one meeting that witnessed a major shortage in attendance, despite the fact that Houthi media broadcast old scenes to cover the crisis.
Some ministers fear for their lives, either by being liquidated by the Iranian-affiliated group or occasionally threatened by the intensification of disagreements between senior Houthi leaders, while others object to the arrangement of positions in the council and the survival of others because the Houthi-affiliated council is not recognized locally or externally.
The sources revealed that some ministers in the Houthi government have defected amidst strong Houthi secrecy, in addition to some fleeing abroad Yemen, amid assurances that these disagreements have continued since the Popular Congress Party broke its alliance with the Houthis after the killing of the late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh at the hands of the Houthi group, to sharpen the differences within the Houthis; “This led to the dismissal of Abdel Aziz ben Habtour, and the crisis also continued with the assumption of the position of Houthi leader Hussein Maqbouli.”
Sharp disputes broke out within the Houthi militias following accusations of corruption and looting of public and private funds, amidst flare-up of mutual accusations between the leaders of Sanaa and Saada; overthrowing top-tier security leaders from militias.
The conflict has turned into an armed war and a war of assassinations between the Houthi factions, amid assurances that those scenes will return in the near future, in light of the collapse of the Houthi Council of Ministers.
