(Prte 3).................The political process
In a discussion with Asharq Al-Awsat, Mohammad Musa Al-Ameri, the leader of the Salafist Rashad Party, said: “There is a group that maintains militias and participates in the political process.
It holds sway over a portion of the Republic of Yemen, in the Sa’ada region for instance.
All of the power is in their hands, from the local authorities, the banks and district attorneys to the management of prisons, religious sites and school curricula.”
According to Ameri, “The people of Yemen find this unacceptable, insofar as it cleaves off a section of the Republic of Yemen in a manner that is incompatible with the peaceful political process.
It is unacceptable that a person can simultaneously take part in the peaceful political process and maintain illegal armed groups.”
Ameri believes the Houthis have the right to exercise their religion. However, “It becomes problematic when any sectarian or non-sectarian group resorts to operating outside of the law; this will lead to discord between the various components that makeup the Yemeni people,” he said.
Ameri added that “it is incumbent upon the Houthi movement, or any other group for that matter, to throw down their arms and forsake maintaining militias and subject itself to the authority of the state and allow the state control over all areas within its borders.”
Regarding the possibility of dialogue between the Houthis and Salafists, Ameri told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We are now conducting the conference for the National Dialogue. We are letting our stance be known, just as they and the rest of the political forces are doing. We have no particular problem with the Houthi movement. It is they who have a problem with the Republic of Yemen in general. The problem is not the concern of a particular political party; it is a concern of all Yemen.”
The Salafist leader believes that “Sa’ada province has been hijacked and now exists outside the framework of the Republic of Yemen; the state’s presence there is only a formality. The strange thing is that the central government in Sana’a finances the activities of the local authority in Sa’ada despite the fact that it has no influence there. This is cause for wonder. It could possibly be the only place the world where a state allocates funds to an area over which it has no influence.”
The rebellious and militarized Houthi group of Northern Yemen has transformed into a political group, calling itself “Ansar Allah.” It is taking part in the National Dialogue conference with representatives of its own, while at the same time playing the role of the opposition to the Yemeni Government of National Reconciliation and President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. In addition, it publicly opposes the Gulf Initiative, which is also a part of the National Dialogue.
Houthi propaganda in Sana’a has become more rampant than what is found in the Sa’ada province, the movement’s stronghold. It is also evident that the Houthi militants are highly trained, feeding speculation that they receive military training in Iran and Lebanon.

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