Yemen's Houthi rebels defy years of war and repression

Tik Root | BBC

Holding up "Death to America" signs and pictures of their fallen leader, an eager throng of Houthi rebels and their supporters gathered in the war-torn northern Yemeni city of Saada earlier this month for a funeral nine years in the making.

Just hours before the ceremony was set to begin, no-one had been told precisely where it would be held.

Despite being forced to hang around in the whipping dust, fidgety funeral-goers seemed understanding of the extra security.

They had, after all, come to bury Hussein Badr al-Dine al-Houthi, the charismatic founder of a group that has variously been a target for al-Qaeda, neighbouring tribesmen, and the central government.

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