Houthi Militants Advance in the Port City of Aden

On Sunday, April 16, Houthi militants in Yemen advanced in the port city of Aden, successfully forcing loyal forces of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to retreat. Mr. Hadi fled from the capital, Sanaa, as the Houthis gained power and escaped to Aden and then to Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, his supporters continue to fight the Houthis in Aden. Citizens in the area have taken refuge in their homes, reporting sporadic gunfire and explosions. An eyewitness also reported seeing a tank belonging to the Houthi militants in the central part of the city. The Houthis, supported by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, continue their advance towards the south of the country and engage in street fighting, despite ongoing attacks by a Saudi-led regional coalition against their positions for the past eleven days. Meanwhile, following a request from the International Red Cross for a temporary ceasefire and humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen, Riyadh announced that aid could only enter Yemen when conditions are suitable. According to UN officials, in the past two weeks of conflict in the country, 519 people have been killed and 1,700 injured. Over six months of fighting, the Houthis have managed to capture significant portions of northern and central Yemen, but they have faced local resistance in the Sunni-majority south. Russia has called for a meeting of the 15 member countries of the Security Council to discuss the possibility of humanitarian pauses in the Saudi airstrikes to prevent increasing civilian casualties. Russia, China, and Iran oppose the Saudi airstrikes against the Houthis, while the US, Gulf Cooperation Council countries (except Oman), Pakistan, and Sudan support the Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. Iran, accused of supporting the Houthi rebels, has strongly protested the Saudi-led attacks on Yemen and has urged the UN to work towards stopping these attacks.