“The leaders of Yemen’s Houthi militia have been angered by their exclusion from consultations led by the Saudi and Omani delegations, political sources in Sanaa said.”

“Saudi and Omani delegations arrived in Sana’a last Sunday for talks with Houthi officials seeking a permanent ceasefire, with the aim of finalizing a draft peace agreement that would expand the truce, include new provisions such as paying staff, unifying the currency and establishing a negotiating track that would end the conflict.”

Houthi divisions

According to the London-based Middle East newspaper, the sources confirmed that leaders of the General People’s Congress party, Houthi partners and other militia officials, are not happy that they did not participate in the meetings. Pictures from the meetings showed the Saudi and Omani delegations at the Republican Palace in Sanaa, with Houthi representatives from Saada province and just one other official.

According to the newspaper, the militias excluded in previous meetings at the palace the head of the coup government, Abdel Aziz ben Habtour, its Foreign Minister, Hisham Sharaf, the Speaker of the House, Yahya Ali al-Raie, and other militia leaders in Sana’a, as the discussions revealed that Houthi officials from Saada controlled the militias and seized most of their financial resources.

Activists and members of the Congress Party criticized senior leaders and called for a response from officials who were excluded from the meetings. Party activists in Sanaa confirmed that the Houthi “Saada Wing” controls militia decisions, adding that these leaders do not believe in dialog and do not accept national partnership.

Conference member and MP Abdul Rahman Saleh Muath sharply criticized the militias’ move against their allies and leaders, pointing to the exclusion of party leaders from receiving the Saudi and Omani delegations, even if officially, despite their being equal partners.

Pro-militia activists in Sanaa said they were deeply dismayed by the “deliberate exclusion” of Sanaa’s leaders and coup partners from attending the talks.

A pro-militia politician addressed the group’s leaders in Saada in a statement, saying they had proven their “racism and their region”.