A spokesman for Shiite Zaidi rebels in north Yemen on Friday demanded that the government keep its promises and free 1,000 captured militants. "We have nearly a thousand men being held by the authorities, and none has yet been released. We call on the authorities to free them immediately," Mohammed Abdelsalam told AFP in Dubai by telephone. He said the dozens of people already freed had nothing to do with the rebellion, but at the same time he welcomed their release "a positive move."
"We have freed all of our Yemeni and Saudi prisoners," Abdelsalam said, adding that the rebels had respected their commitments under a February truce whereas the government had not. He also denied a government accusation on Thursday that the rebels had called for jihad, or holy war.
The interior ministry website said that the rebels, also known as Huthis, had distributed leaflets calling for jihad. "To call for jihad is against our culture. The ministry is making accusations before checking first," Abdelsalam said.