Houthi Shiites Besiege the House of Yemen's Prime Minister

Raji Badi, the spokesman for the Yemeni government, reported that the house of the country's Prime Minister was besieged by Shiite Houthi militants just hours after a ceasefire was announced in Sanaa, the capital. Mr. Badi told AFP that just hours before the siege of Khaled Bahah's house, he had survived a shooting incident. This occurred on Monday afternoon, January 29, when it was announced that representatives of the Houthis and the Yemeni government had reached a ceasefire agreement after several hours of intense fighting in Sanaa. The Yemeni Minister of Information described these events, which resulted in the deaths of at least 9 people, as an 'attempt to stage a coup against the legitimate government.' The Yemeni government spokesman stated that armed men had blocked all three entrances to the Prime Minister's residence. Raji Badi called for an emergency meeting of all political forces in Yemen on Tuesday morning to outline a 'roadmap' to end the violence. On the same day, Shiite Houthis took control of a military base and the state television. The area around the presidential palace was also targeted with mortar fire, and tanks and army soldiers were stationed in front of the residence of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President. The clashes in Sanaa on Monday began after the draft of a new Yemeni constitution was published. The Houthis are strongly opposed to this draft. Yemen has been the scene of armed conflicts between the government and its loyal army against the Shiite Houthis and Al-Qaeda for years.