Sanaa, Sep 22 (IANS/EFE) Fighters of the Shia Houthi rebel movement, Ansar Allah, have seized a large number of weapons after overrunning five military barracks in the Yemeni capital despite a peace agreement with the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur, witnesses told Efe news agency.
The militants moved the equipment to the neighbourhood of al-Jaraf, the Houthis' stronghold in northern Sanaa.
A number of tanks and armoured vehicles loaded with arms and ammunition were seen moving Sunday night from the capital's centre to al-Jaraf.
The weapons were seized from the Yemeni armed forces general headquarters, the Fourth Brigade in charge of protecting the president, the Sixth Military Region, and the state radio and television facilities.
The Ansar Allah (Followers of God) rebels were seen collecting the weapons in several warehouses and buildings in al-Jaraf overnight, according to the witnesses.
The rebel movement said Sunday that its fighters were deployed at the entrances of these barracks and institutions to "protect them from possible looting" after the troops responsible for guarding them withdrew.
No security forces have been seen in Sanaa since the Houthis gained control over the streets linking the capital's centre to the northern suburbs.
These incidents took place despite the UN-brokered peace agreement signed by the Houthis and Mansur Sunday in order to end their armed conflict.
The Houthis refused to sign a clause for the compulsory withdrawal of Shia militias from the capital and the government buildings which were seized after clashes with the Yemeni forces.
Mansur has promised to restore a government fuel subsidy, the withdrawal of which caused the unrest in August.
The Shia insurgents have controlled the northern province of Saada since 2010 and have been trying to expand into other regions of the country.
--IANS/EFE
ab/bg
