Yemen-based
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in a news release and wanted poster
distributed online, offers the reward for the death or capture of Houthi
leader Abdelmalik Bedrudin Al-Houthi and former Yemeni President Ali
Abdullah Saleh.
Converted to currency,
the gold reward would be worth about $774,000. AQAP referred to
Al-Houthi and Saleh as the "two heads of evil."
AQAP
is one of several factions fighting to control Yemen. With Sunni
Islamic roots, AQAP is a bitter enemy of the Houthi faction, which is
Shia and widely believed to be supported by Iran.
Yemen
has been descending into chaos in the weeks since Houthi rebels --
minority Shiites who have long complained of being marginalized in the
majority Sunni country -- forced Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi
from power in January.
The
Houthis, allied with fighters loyal to Saleh, have since faced
resistance from not only AQAP, but also a number of groups including
forces loyal to Hadi.
Also opposing the
Houthis are Saudi Arabia and other predominantly Sunni nations, which
last month began airstrikes against the rebels.
At
least 540 people -- including 311 civilians -- have died as a result of
the fighting, the United Nations said Wednesday. A U.N. expert on
refugees said other nations should prepare for "massive displacement" of
Yemenis seeking safety.
"The
international community must prepare for a worst case scenario," Chaloka
Beyani, a professor of International Law at the London School of
Economics, said. "While efforts to reach a diplomatic solution are
essential, the picture on the ground is extremely bleak and humanitarian
responses must be stepped up as a matter of urgency."
About 1,000 people have already fled their homes during the two weeks of conflict.
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