Houthi militia internal rifts threaten to unseat its leader
Conflicts within the Houthi militia have assumed bloody proportions, threatening Houthi leader Abdel Malal al-Houthi himself.
UN report
According to a report by
the United Nations on 6 February, senior Houthi leaders have formed their own
economic empires.
Other leaders have formed
separate intelligence agencies, as part of ferocious rivalries over power and
financial institutions, the UN said in the report.
The report does not,
however, mention additional information about the Houthi leaders forming
parallel institutions within the militia.
Nevertheless, the same
institutions threaten the grip of Houthi leader Abdel Malak al-Houthi on the
militia.
The same rifts brought
down Abdel Malak's own brother Ibrahim who was responsible for preventive
security within the militia.
Coup against the coup
Tehran is afraid that
power struggles within the militia will unseat Abdel Malak al-Houthi who
succeeded his brother on the saddle of the militia after being recommended by
his father Badreddine, the godfather of the militia.
The coup staged by the
founder of the militia against what came to be known as the Organization of
Pious Youth makes an internal coup in the militia likely. After staging his own
coup, Badreddine turned the organization into a sectarian militia that strives
for fighting and killing to reach power.
He even overlooked
regulations for the selection of the commander of the organization so that his
two sons can be at its helm.
Sacred affiliation claims
Abdel Malak al-Houthi has
been paving the way for his younger brother, Gen. Abdel Khaliq to gain a senior
status inside the militia on the road to succeeding him at its top.
Abdel Khaliq is the last
member in Abdel Malak's very inner security circle.
Abdel Malak claims to be
a descendant of the People of the House, namely the family of Islam's prophet
Muhammad. However, he is not alone in this. His cousins do this too.
