Yemeni Army spokesman Brigadier General Abdo Majli accused on Sunday Houthi militias of manipulating the military establishment, and amending its laws and regulations.
“Militias have recently resorted to some tricks with an aim to encourage young men to enroll in the military, a step many Yemenis have already abandoned,” the spokesman said.
He said Houthis opened the doors for applying to military academies without respecting the conditions for recruitment and training.
Majli explained that the militias would move young recruits to the rank of Lieutenant in less than nine months, and then shove them to battlefronts in return for monthly salaries and food parcels.
“Houthis would be held accountable for such violations because all measures taken by the militias since their coup on Sep. 21, 2014 ... lack any legal grounds, based on the decision of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi,” he said.
Yemeni political analyst Mohammad Salahi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias are suffering from a dwindling number of fighters. “The rebels have an urgent need for newly trained fighters,” he said.
According to Salahi, the Houthi attempts to recruit new militants have been insufficient in terms of attracting the target set by the militia leadership.
He said the Yemeni people are now more aware about the threats caused by the militia group, which takes advantage of them to achieve objectives that only serve the enemies of Yemen and foreign parties such as the Iranian regime.
“Most young Yemenis no longer accept to join Houthi battlefronts, either voluntarily or by force,” the analyst added.
