SANAA
A coalition of tribes in Yemen's southern Shabwah province says it has drawn up a force of 3,000 armed tribesmen tasked with protecting the province from outsiders.
"The tribes drew up 3,000 fighters to protect the province from armed militias," the Awaleq tribes coalition said in a statement in an implied reference to Yemen's powerful Shiite Houthi group.
"We won't allow any militias to enter the province," the statement asserted, going on to reject what it described as the Houthis' recent "coup" against state institutions.
In recent weeks, Sunni tribesmen have set up "popular committees" tasked with keeping Houthi militants from consolidating their control over government offices in southern Yemen.
Earlier this month, the Houthis – who have remained in control of capital Sanaa since last September – issued a "constitutional declaration" dissolving Yemen's parliament and establishing a 551-member "transitional council."
The declaration was rejected by most of Yemen's political forces – along with some neighboring countries – which described it as a "coup against constitutional legitimacy."
