Yemeni police disperse Shiite rebels near airport, 10 injured

Yemeni riot police on Sunday evening fired tear gas to disperse Shiite Houth rebels who blocked a main road to the Sanaa International Airport in an escalation of their standoff with the government, witnesses told Xinhua. About 10 Shiite protesters were injured in the clashes.

Ambulances were seen entering the protesters' camp, which was set up early Sunday and cut off traffic to the airport. Riot police also used water cannons to clean the camp. Police sources said that more riot police were mobilized to clean the sit-in camp and reopen the road.

Meanwhile, gunshots were heard in front of the interior ministry, where the rebels held another sit-in camp.

Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesman of the Shiite Houthi group, accused the government of attacking the "peaceful protest" of the group's followers.

"Unfortunately, the government began savage aggression on the peaceful protesters on a road to the airport," he said.

The police started to disperse the rebels after they pitched new tents in front of the interior, telecommunication and electricity ministries and blocked the road leading to the Sanaa International Airport on Sunday.

The Shiite Houthi rebels have been camping in Sanaa for almost three weeks, demanding government ouster and reinstatement of fuel subsidies.

In an effort to resolve the standoff between the government and rebels, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi made an announcement on Tuesday that he will replace the government and appoint a new prime minister within a week.

Hadi also reduced fuel prices hike by 30 percent in an attempt to calm down the spate of protests.

However, the Houthi group rejected Hadi's initiative, insisting on carrying out their "peaceful" protests.

The Houthi rebel group waged a six-year insurgency that ended in 2010 when it signed a ceasefire deal with the Yemeni government. And one year later, mass protests erupted in the country that eventually forced longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

The outgoing government, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa, was appointed in December 2011 in line with a UN-backed Gulf initiative.

Taking advantage of the security vacuum since 2011, the Shiite Houthi group has since expanded its control over northern provinces.