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Houthi leader downplays Hadi's escape to Aden

February 21, 2015 at 2:02 pm

A senior Houthi leader has downplayed the escape of resigned President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi from Yemeni capital Sanaa to the southern Aden city.

“Hadi’s escape will not impact the political scene in Yemen,” Ali al-Qahoum, a member of the Houthi group’s political bureau, told Anadolu Agency on Saturday.

Earlier Saturday, Hadi left his home in Sanaa, where he had been under house arrest by the powerful Shia Houthi group.

Al-Qahoum said that the resigned president had disguised himself and left for Aden.

“It is natural for Hadi to move to another province as he is no longer a political player on the current political scene,” he said.

The Houthi leader accused “certain political factions and international parties” of exaggerating the issue of Hadi’s departure.

“The cause of the Yemenis is to change their country for the better, not Hadi’s departure,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Houthi group issued what they described as constitutional declaration, dissolving parliament and establishing a 551-member “transitional council” to run the country’s affairs.

The declaration, however, was rejected by most Yemeni political forces – along with some neighboring countries – which slammed it as a coup against constitutional legitimacy.

Last September, the Houthis seized control of Sanaa and have since sought to expand their influence to other parts of the country as well.