Inside Yemen: Citizens share their struggle through unrest

In Yemen this week, a new element in an already chaotic situation: Saudi air strikes targeting the rebel Houthi militants. They've been bombing for a week now, trying to loosen the rebel's grip over most of the country. And whether or not they're shifting the balance of power, the air strikes are certainly making life even more tense for Yemeni citizens... trapped now in their homes, and fearing that a Saudi blockade will cut them off food and supplies.

For a bit of background - today's situation can be traced to last September, when a U.N.-backed political dialogue broke down, and the rebel Houthis marched on the capital. Months ago the country's leader, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, was forced to flee the capital, first taking refuge in the port of Aden and then fleeing to Saudi Arabia.

Yesterday, his palace in Aden was overtaken by the rebels but have since pulled back overnight. There are news reports today that Houthi rebel forces have left the palace and pulled back from a central Aden district. As well. warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition have dropped weapons and medical aid to fighters defending the southern Yemeni city. 

As the situation escalates, we're checking in with a series of people to hear what life's like inside Yemen today.

Hisham Al-Omeisy lives in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

Hamed Ghaleb is an IT programmer in Sanaa. . He's a supporter of the General People's Congress, the party of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Now, not everyone in Yemen is opposed to the Saudi-led airstrikes that started last week. Abdulkader Al-Guneid is a sixty five year old physician from the city of Taiz in Southern Yemen. He says he supports the coalition efforts to wrest control of Yemen from Houthi rebel forces. 

Sarah Ahmed is a 27-year-old sociologist and film producer. She was in the capital, Sanaa.
 

This segment was produced by The Current's Samira Mohyeddin and Josh Bloch.