Houthi minister defects amid ‘more divisions’ in Yemen

Former Houthi militia Information Minister Abdul Salam Ali Jaber has defected to Riyadh and announced that he expects more divisions among the rebel group, Almesryoon.com has reported. Jaber told a press conference in the Saudi capital on Sunday that Yemen is being exposed to a “catastrophe” at the hands of the de facto government run by the Houthis in Sanaa.

Thanking the legitimate, internationally-recognised Yemeni government in exile which secured his defection from Sanaa through Aden and on to Riyadh, the former minister said that Yemen has been dominated by “savages” who have controlled the country’s institutions since 21 September, 2014. He alleged that torture is inflicted on inmates in Houthi-controlled prisons to support his claim.

Jaber said that the Houthis are reeling and “in their last days” before expressing his hope that Yemen will be “restored to the Arabs” [taken out of Iranian control] with the help of the Saudi-led coalition. The defector called upon his ex-colleagues to join him and the legitimate government. He is confident that more defections will follow in the near future.

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