Sanaa---Yemen faced a dangerous power vacuum Friday after its president announced his resignation over a deadly standoff with Shiite militia controlling the capital and lawmakers called an emergency weekend session.
President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, a key US ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda, said late Thursday that he could no longer stay in office as the country was in "total deadlock".
Prime Minister Khalid Bahah also tendered his resignation, saying he did want to be part of the collapse of the country.
The fall of Hadi's Western-backed government would raise fears of complete chaos engulfing Yemen, strategically located next to oil-rich Saudi Arabia and on the key shipping route from the Suez Canal to the Gulf.
A senior State Department official said staffing at the US embassy in the capital Sanaa, already thin after most of the diplomatic personnel were ordered to leave in September, would be further reduced.
The country is an important power base for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which claimed responsibility for this month's deadly attack on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
Parliament is set to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss Hadi's resignation offer, which needs to be approved by lawmakers to take effect.
Hadi advisor Sultan al-Atwani told AFP that parliament would meet on Sunday "at the earliest" because it is in recess and lawmakers need time to return.
Witnesses and security forces said that Huthi militiamen had encircled the parliament building overnight, having already seized the presidential palace earlier this week.
Gunmen have also surrounded the houses of top officials including Defence Minister Mahmud al-Subaihi and head of intelligence Ali al-Ahmedi, a security official said.
- Rival protests -
The Huthis, who hail from Yemen's northern highlands and who took control of most of the capital in September, said the constitution stipulated that Hadi's resignation should be approved by an absolute majority in parliament.
"As this has not happened, the resignation remains pending," the militia said in a statement.
Yemen has been ravaged by instability since an uprising forced strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh from power in 2012.
Saleh has been accused of backing the Huthis -- who are from the same Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam as the ex-leader -- as has Shiite-dominated Iran.
The Huthis, who have long complained of marginalisation, called on supporters to take to the streets on Friday afternoon to show their "backing for the revolutionary measures".
Thousands of supporters answered the call, staging a rally north of Sanaa.
Meanwhile, hundreds others demonstrated near the University of Sanaa against the Huthis and in support of Hadi, witnesses said.
Similar protests were staged in the cities of Taez and Hudaida.
While the situation was generally calm in Sanaa, two small explosions targeted two houses belonging to Huthi members but there were no casualties.
After heavy fighting between government forces and the Huthis this week that killed at least 35 people, the UN Security Council and Yemen's Gulf neighbours had all voiced support for Hadi's continued rule.
AFP
