Thousands of Yemenis protested Thursday against a new UN plan to end the devastating conflict between rebels and the Saudi-backed government, saying it would legitimise the insurgents' power grab.
The demonstrations in the southern city of Aden and other locations took place shortly before UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived in Sanaa for peace talks with the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
"We reject the plan of Ould Cheikh (Ahmed)," read one of the banners carried by protesters in Aden - the government's temporary base - who responded to a call by authorities in the city to rally. "No to an initiative that legitimises the coup," said another.
President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on Saturday rejected the envoy's peace plan, saying it would reward the Huthis for seizing the capital and "opens a door towards more suffering and war".
Hadi enjoys the backing of a Saudi-led Arab coalition that launched a military campaign in March 2015 after the rebels closed in on his refuge in Aden, forcing him to flee to Riyadh.
The contents of the roadmap, which the envoy presented to the rebels last week, have not been made public.
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