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Yemen crisis: Houthi rebels tighten grip on Sanaa Yemen crisis: Houthi rebels tighten grip on Sanaa
(about 3 hours later)
Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen are reported to have tightened their grip on the capital, Sanaa. Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen have tightened their grip on the capital, Sanaa, stationing fighters outside the private home of the president.
Witnesses said rebels were stationed outside the private home of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, replacing soldiers from the Presidential Guard. Some officials said Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi was being held under house arrest, while others said he was free to leave.
On Tuesday, the Houthis shelled the house and seized control of the presidential palace complex. There has been no public comment from Mr Hadi since his home was shelled by the rebels during clashes on Tuesday.
Their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, accused the president and other leaders of ignoring the people's interests. They also took over the presidential palace and are said to have seized the main ballistic missile base in Sanaa.
In a televised address the Houthi leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, accused the president and other leaders of ignoring the people's interests.
He said the country had reached a critical and defining moment.He said the country had reached a critical and defining moment.
Land, sea and air crossings to the country have been closed until further notice, local media report. The UN Security Council meanwhile stressed in a statement agreed by all 15 members that President Hadi was "the legitimate authority" in Yemen.
'Point of no return'
Land, sea and air crossings to the country were closed until further notice on Wednesday, local media reported.
The main security body in the southern port city of Aden said the measure was necessary because of "dangerous developments in the capital", and because of the threat to the president, whom it described as "the symbol of national sovereignty and constitutional legitimacy".The main security body in the southern port city of Aden said the measure was necessary because of "dangerous developments in the capital", and because of the threat to the president, whom it described as "the symbol of national sovereignty and constitutional legitimacy".
The Houthis are also reported to have seized the country's largest missile base on a hilltop above Sanaa, in addition to taking control of most media outlets and besieging the house of Prime Minister Khalid Bahah. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), are believed to taken control of most media outlets. They are also thought to have besieged the residence of Prime Minister Khalid Bahah.
The rebels say that the president remains in his private residence and is free to leave - although Abdul Malik al-Houthi has repeated his demand for Mr Hadi to implement a power-sharing deal. Analaysis: Abdullah Ghorab, BBC Arabic, Sanaa
There has been no public statement from Mr Hadi, who has received strong support from the UN Security Council. The current situation in Yemen has had a grave impact on people's lives, especially for residents of the capital. Hundreds of families have fled the capital to safer provinces.
There are also long queues at petrol stations, as a result of a nationwide fuel crisis that stems from security problems in the province of Maarib, east of Sanaa. It is the location of many oil and gas fields, as well as a major refinery and power plant. The instability there has led to the price of a cylinder of domestic gas rising from $6 to $24 in some rural areas.
Sanaa residents are also complaining about food price hikes, which have seen the cost of basic supplies increase by more than 30%.
The European Union's foreign policy chief warned on Tuesday that the situation was making Yemen's poorest people suffer the most.
Press warn of failed state in Yemen
The rebels say the president remains in his home and is free to leave.
However, one aide told the AP news agency that Mr Hadi "cannot leave his house" because the Houthis had removed members of the presidential guard stationed outside and deployed their own fighters
Another aide said Yemen was at the "point of no return", adding that the president could not resign because the Houthis might prosecute him.
The Reuters news agency quoted a source close to Mr Hadi as saying: "Within hours, decisions will be made heeding the Houthi demands."
'Corruption and tyranny''Corruption and tyranny'
In a televised speech on Tuesday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi warned the president that a power-sharing deal agreed in September when his men overran the capital needed to be speedily implemented. In his televised address on Tuesday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi repeated his demand for Mr Hadi to implement a peace deal signed when his men overran the capital in September.
Yemen had "sunk deep into corruption and tyranny" and was moving towards a "complete collapse", he warned.
Mr Houthi accused the government of encouraging the spread of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has vowed to defend Yemen's Sunni community against the Houthis.
The president - a key US ally - has increasingly been at loggerheads with Mr Houthi over a draft constitution which it is hoped will bring an end to years of instability and under-development.The president - a key US ally - has increasingly been at loggerheads with Mr Houthi over a draft constitution which it is hoped will bring an end to years of instability and under-development.
Mr Houthi said that Yemen had "sunk deep into corruption and tyranny" and was moving towards a "complete collapse". The General People's Congress party of the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has endorsed the rebels' demands. Mr Saleh has long been suspected of backing the Houthis, even though he fought against them before being forced to step down after a popular uprising in 2011.
He accused the government of encouraging the spread of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has vowed to defend Yemen's Sunni community against the Houthis. The rebels attacked Mr Hadi's home on Tuesday despite having agreed a ceasefire with the government the previous day to end clashes with members of the presidential guard.
The Houthis attacked Mr Hadi's home and seized the presidential complex on Tuesday despite having agreed a ceasefire with the government the previous day to end clashes with members of the Presidential Guard.
The UN Security Council said in a statement agreed by all 15 members that President Hadi was "the legitimate authority" in Yemen.
The Houthis, who adhere to a branch of Shia Islam known as Zaidism, have staged periodic uprisings since 2004 in an effort to win greater autonomy for their northern heartland of Saada province.The Houthis, who adhere to a branch of Shia Islam known as Zaidism, have staged periodic uprisings since 2004 in an effort to win greater autonomy for their northern heartland of Saada province.
Since July the rebels have inflicted defeats on tribal and militia groups backed by the leading Sunni Islamist party, Islah, and battled AQAP militants as they have pushed into central and western provinces.Since July the rebels have inflicted defeats on tribal and militia groups backed by the leading Sunni Islamist party, Islah, and battled AQAP militants as they have pushed into central and western provinces.
Have you been affected by the situation in Yemen? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number.Have you been affected by the situation in Yemen? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are willing to be contacted by a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number.
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