SANAA, Yemen (AP) – Yemen’s powerful Shiite rebels who seized the capital, Sanaa, shut down a strategic Red Sea port on Wednesday, and stormed the offices of the country’s main state newspaper, officials said.
Armed men from the Shiite rebels, also known as Houthis, closed Hodeida port, the second largest in Yemen, and prevented its director from entering his office, a port official said.
The port was seized by Houthis in October, a month after they swept through the capital. This month, they sacked the governor of Hodeida and replaced him with an ally.
The militiamen, empowered by supporters of ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have plunged Yemen into turmoil while pursuing more territorial gains. Their power grab left President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi severely weakened, despite a United Nations brokered deal that was supposed to bring stability by boosting Houthis’ representation in the government.
A day before Hodeida was shuttered, the Information Ministry said that newspaper al-Thawra’s headquarters was overrun by Houthis seeking “to manipulate editorial policy.” It called the action a “blatant assault” and a “grave violation of the freedom of the press.”