Thousands rally against Shiite Houthi militia in Yemen's capital

Thousands of people rallied on Thursday in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa against the militia-control of Sanaa that forced the president and prime minister to submit resignation.

The protesters gathered at the residence of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi which has been surrounded by Houthi fighters in western Sanaa since early this week. Then they marched on the street, shouting slogans against militia in the country.

"We reject coup, get Shiite rebels out of our city," they chanted.

"We strongly reject Shiite Houthis who are against the constitutional legitimacy, we want them to leave Sanaa immediately," protester Waleed Mohammed said as the demonstrators raised banners demanding that Hadi withdraw his resignation.

Some Houthi fighters tried to prevent the protesters from reaching the president's house, triggering a brief scuffle that injured five protesters before they left.

Hadi sent his resignation to the parliament on Thursday night as he failed to lead a UN-backed transitional process that started nearly three years ago.

"I have bear the responsibility of the presidency since Feb. 25, 2012, but since the events on Sep. 21, 2014 that affect the political transitional process, I'm no longer able to achieve the goal which I was elected for because of the abandonment of other parties which refused to bear responsibility with us to get Yemen into safety out of the political crisis," Hadi said in his resignation letter.

"I offer my apology to the parliament and to our people after we have reached a dead-end," he said.

The parliament Thursday rejected Hadi's resignation in a brief statement, and will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the political development and debt on the president's resignation.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah also submitted resignation to Hadi.

Protest rallies also rocked several provinces of Taiz, Ibb, Marib, al-Bayda, Aden, Shabwa, Hadramout, Abyan and al-Hodayda, according to local media.

The impoverish country has seen persistent unrest since 2011 when mass protests forced former president Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down. Hadi took over power from Saleh in 2012, but failed to implement reforms in the government and army, nor advance reconciliation among political factions.

Yemen has since been facing growing secessionism and al-Qaida networks in the south and armed groups including the powerful Houthi in the north. Endit