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Yemeni police disperse Shia rebels near airport

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IANS Sanaa
Last Updated : Sep 08 2014 | 12:15 AM IST

Yemeni riot police Sunday evening fired tear gas to disperse Shia Houth rebels after they blocked a main road to the Sanaa International Airport during an anti-government protest, Xinhua reported.

Ambulances were seen entering the protesters' camp, set up early Sunday. About 10 Shia protesters were injured in the clashes.

Riot police also used water cannons to clean the camp. Police sources said more riot police were mobilised to clean the sit-in camp and reopen the road.

Gunshots were heard in front of the interior ministry, where the rebels held another sit-in camp.

Mohammed Abdulsalam, spokesperson of the Shia Houthi group, accused the government of attacking the "peaceful protest".

"Unfortunately, the government began a savage aggression on the peaceful protesters on a road to the airport," he said.

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Police started to disperse the rebels after they pitched new tents in front of the interior, telecommunication and electricity ministries and blocked the road leading to the Sanaa airport.

The Shia Houthi rebels have been camping in Sanaa for almost three weeks, demanding government ouster and reinstatement of fuel subsidies.

To resolve the standoff between the government and rebels, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi made an announcement Tuesday that he will replace the government and appoint a new prime minister within a week.

Hadi also reduced fuel prices by 30 percent in an attempt to calm down the spate of protests.

However, the Houthi group rejected Hadi's initiative, insisting on carrying out their "peaceful" protests.

The Houthi group waged a six-year insurgency that ended in 2010 when it signed a ceasefire deal with the Yemeni government. A year later, mass protests erupted in the country that eventually forced longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

The outgoing government, headed by Mohammed Basindawa, was appointed in December 2011 in line with a UN-backed Gulf initiative.

Taking advantage of the security vacuum since 2011, the Shia Houthi group has since expanded its control over northern provinces.

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First Published: Sep 08 2014 | 12:08 AM IST

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