Houthis threaten to fill Yemen's political vacuum

A statement issued by the Shiite militia and read out at the end of a three-day conference in the capital Sanaa, on Sunday, called on Yemen's three political factions to "reach a solution and fill the vacuum" that was created after the president, prime minister and the cabinet quit last month.

The statement added that if the politicians failed to do so within three days "the revolutionary leadership" would "take care of the situation of the state." The statement provided no further details.

The conference, held in a Sanaa sports hall, was attended by the party of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who left power in 2012, but boycotted by Yemen's other major political movements.

The announcement was loudly applauded by thousands who attended the meeting, including tribal chiefs and officers in military uniform.

Besieged president resigns

The country has been without a leader since internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi stepped down last month, after the rebels besieged his residence and demanded more power.

The Houthis, who overran Sanaa back in September, seized the presidential palace and key government buildings on January 20.

The United Nations special advisory on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has said that the former president and his cabinet were effectively under house arrest.

The Arabian Peninsula country is also facing a separatist movement in the south and is home to an affiliate of the al Qaeda network. There are growing fears that the impoverished country, which borders on Saudi Arabia, could unravel completely, leaving it a failed state.

pfd/bk (AFP, dpa, AP)