Demo held in Yemen over US meddling in internal affairs

Tens of thousands of Yemeni people have taken to the streets to protest against US interference in the country’s internal affairs.

On Friday, the people in Yemen held a rally in the capital city of Sana’a to express their anger at US meddling in the Arab country’s affairs, saying the interference has only fueled instability and turmoil all over Yemen.

The demonstrators called for the expulsion of US ambassador to Sana’a over Washington’s campaign to impose sanctions on two leaders of Yemen’s Shia Ansarullah movement, as well as the ousted Yemeni dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

On Wednesday, Saleh’s political party, General People’s Congress (GPC), said in a statement that the US ambassador to Yemen, Matthew H. Tueller, had said that the former ruler had to leave Yemen before 5:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Friday, otherwise “sanctions will be imposed against him.”

“Any sanction would have dangerous consequences that would threaten not only the security of Yemen, but also that of its neighbors,” the GPC said in reaction to the threats.

The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting on Friday to make a decision on imposing sanctions on Yemeni figures. All 15 member states of the Security Council must approve sanctions in order for them to go into effect.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years, was a close ally of the United States for decades and enjoyed Washington’s support during his crackdown on protesters in 2011.

Saleh stepped down in February 2012 under a US-backed power transfer deal in return for immunity, after a year of mass street demonstrations demanding his ouster.

His vice president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, replaced him on February 25, 2012, following a single-candidate presidential election backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia.