AFP/Sanaa

Supporters of the Yemeni government and its opponents held huge rival rallies yesterday in Sanaa, where tensions escalated as Shia Houthi rebels vowed to step up anti-government protests.

Outside the capital, clashes between Houthi rebels and loyalist tribes backed by government forces have killed at least 22 people since Thursday, tribal sources said.

Tens of thousands of Shia rebels, also known as Zaidis or Ansarullah, gathered with supporters for Friday prayers along the airport road, where they have been demonstrating for weeks.

After the prayers, organisers called for further action against the government, which the Houthis accuse of corruption and whose resignation they have been demanding.

The rebels have rejected overtures from President Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi to name a new prime minister, replace the government and reduce a disputed fuel price hike.

Taha al-Mutawakel, a member of Ansarullah’s politburo, called for “civil disobedience” and urged supporters to join in new protests tomorrow and on Monday to keep up the pressure on the government.

“People want escalation,” protesters chanted.

At the same time, supporters of the embattled government mobilised what appeared to be a much larger crowd for a rival rally and prayers on Sittin Street in western Sanaa.

The protesters chanted slogans of support for Hadi and denounced Houthi protests that have crippled the capital, an AFP correspondent reported.

“Listen to us Houthi: The Yemeni people believe in the republic,” they chanted.

The official Saba news agency said “millions” of Hadi supporters took to the streets in Sanaa and in other parts of Yemen yesterday.

Zaidi fighters held protests throughout much of August to push for the government’s resignation.

They have also been fighting government forces and loyalist tribes in the north, where they have expanded their control beyond their traditional Saada stronghold.

In violence in Jawf province, north of Sanaa, rebels fought for control of roads linking Sanaa with the province of Marib.

Clashes rocked Ghayl and Majzar regions straddling Jawf and Marib, east of the capital, killing 17 Houthi rebels and five tribesmen, tribal sources said.

On Thursday, fighting intensified in the nearby area of Fardat Nahm, as rebels tried to seize control of the main Marib-Sanaa road.