Houthi takeover in Yemen

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Houthi takeover in Yemen
Part of the Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
Date 21 September 2014 – 6 February 2015 (4 months, 2 weeks and 2 days) Location Sanaa, Yemen Result Houthi and Saleh loyalists victory leading to a Saudi led intervention. Houthis and Saleh's loyalists take over the Yemeni government Fall of Sanaa to Houthis and Saleh forces Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa resigns General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar flees to Saudi Arabia[1] Hamid al-Ahmar flees to Turkey[2] Prime Minister Khaled Bahah resigns[3] President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi resigns[4] Houthis initially announced Parliament's dissolution[5][6]
Belligerents
Houthis Saleh Security forces Republican Guard	Cabinet of Yemen Security Forces Al-Islah militias
Commanders and leaders
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi Mohammed Ali al-Houthi Saleh Ali al-Sammad Ali Abdullah Saleh	Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi Mohammed Basindawa Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak Khaled Bahah Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar

Part of a series on the Yemeni crisis
Main topics Yemeni Revolution 2012 Yemeni presidential election Houthi insurgency al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen South Yemen insurgency Houthi takeover in Yemen Aftermath of the Houthi takeover in Yemen Yemeni civil war (2014–present) Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war COVID-19 pandemic
Background History of Yemen Yemeni unification Yemeni peace process Human rights in Yemen
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The Houthi takeover in Yemen, also known as the September 21 Revolution (by supporters),^[7] or 2014–15 coup d'état (by opponents),^[8] was a popular revolution against Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi led by the Houthis and their supporters that pushed the Yemeni government from power. It had origins in Houthi-led protests that began the previous month,^[9] and escalated when the Houthis stormed the Yemeni capital Sanaa on 21 September 2014,^[10] causing the resignation of Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa, and later the resignation of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and his ministers on 22 January 2015 after Houthi forces seized the presidential palace, residence, and key military installations, and the formation of a ruling council by Houthi militants on 6 February 2015.^[11]

The unrest began on 18 August 2014 as the Houthis, angered over a government-implemented removal of fuel subsidies, called for mass protests.^[12] On 21 September, as the Houthis took control of Sanaa, the Yemeni Army did not formally intervene, other than troops affiliated with General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Al-Islah Party.^[13][14] After gaining control over key government buildings in Sana'a, the Houthis and government signed a UN-brokered deal on 21 September to form a "unity government".^[15]

The unrest took a dramatic turn in January 2015, when Houthi fighters seized control of the presidential palace and Hadi's residence in an effort to gain more influence over the government and the drafting of a new constitution.^[16][17] On 22 January, Hadi and his government resigned en masse rather than comply with the Houthis' demands.^[18] Three weeks later, the Houthis declared parliament to be dissolved and installed a Revolutionary Committee as the interim authority, although they agreed to keep the House of Representatives in place two weeks later as part of a power-sharing agreement.^[6][11] The Houthi-led interim authority has been rejected by other internal opposition groups and has not been recognized internationally.

In March 2015, the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen began with airstrikes and a naval blockade to restore Hadi's government to power. The United States and the United Kingdom both support a political solution in Yemen.^[19] A 2017 UNICEF report stated that nearly half a million underage children in Yemen were on the verge of starvation, and about seven million people were facing acute food shortages.^[20] In 2016, the UN stated that, in Yemen, almost 7.5 million children needed medical care, and 370,000 children were on the verge of starvation.