Yemenis hold demo against US, Saudi interference in Sa’ada

Yemenis have staged a demonstration in Sa’ada to condemn US and Saudi meddling in their country, Press TV reports.

Large crowds of people took to the streets in the northern city of Sa'ada on Friday to protest against what they call "the interference of Saudi Arabia and the United States" in Yemen’s internal affairs. The demonstrators also carried banners reading "Down with Israel." On the same day, a massive demonstration was held in the capital Sana'a, where tens of thousands of people called for the purging of ex-regime remnants loyal to former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh from top military posts. Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years, stepped down in February under a US-backed power transfer deal in return for immunity, after a year of mass street demonstrations demanding his ouster. His vice president, Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, replaced him on February 25 following a single-candidate presidential election backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia. On April 6, Hadi dismissed nearly 20 high-ranking officers, including the commander of the country's air force, but several of Saleh's loyalists and relatives, including his son, are still hanging on to key military posts in the government.A nephew of Saleh, General Tariq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, recently resigned as commander of the Presidential Guard, an elite army unit, following mass protests calling for his dismissal, according to a UN envoy to the country.