Public outcry in Taiz against Al-Faqih, Al-Mikhlafi’s calls for armed mobilization following loss of strategic positions

TAIZ, Oct. 13 (YPA) – Recent statements by leaders of the Islah Party (the Muslim Brotherhood wing in Yemen) have sparked widespread public outrage and criticism among popular circles in the city of Taiz.

The remarks drew explicit accusations against the party of attempting to sacrifice civilians and drag them into futile fighting to compensate for successive military failures.

The angry reactions followed public appearances by the head of the party’s branch in Taiz, Abdul-Hafidh Al-Faqih, and the commander of the so-called “Popular Resistance” based in Turkey, Hamoud Al-Mikhlafi.

Activists and intellectuals in Taiz condemned the Islah Party leadership’s persistence in plunging citizens into a losing war, questioning the rationale behind these incitement calls given the existence of a massive arsenal and a huge human force registered on the party’s payrolls.

Bloggers questioned the fate of more than 40,000 soldiers in the Taiz Axis, a similar number in the Tur Al-Baha Axis, in addition to 30,000 fighters registered within factions led remotely by Al-Mikhlafi—forces that have failed to achieve any territorial gains, instead restricting crossings and tightening daily living conditions for citizens.

Public responses reaffirmed a categorical rejection of turning the city into a battlefield serving Islah Party agendas, holding Islah leadership fully responsible for the catastrophic humanitarian consequences resulting from ongoing incitement from inside and outside Taiz.

YPA