Yemen's parliament yesterday called on the government to bring the Houthi rebellion to a swift end (reports: Yemen Postand Almotamar).

Although this can be interpreted as support for the government's policy (since ending the rebellion is the declared intention of Operation Scorched Earth), The National (based in the UAE) detects signs of discontent on the government side with the way it is being handled. The paper quotes Mohammed Abdellah al-Kadi, a member of the ruling party, as saying:

“What we have heard today is something we have been listening to for five years. The main difference is that al-Houthi presence was restricted in 2004 to a small part of a mountainous village. Now, the state is fighting in four provinces ... 

“We need to know why al-Houthi has become so powerful. The state has failed in dealing with the situation in Saada and the southern provinces.

“The minister of the interior said 50 people protested in the south, while the photos we got say there were thousands. The problem is that we do not acknowledge the crisis ..."

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 8 October 2009.