ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Shiite Houthi rebels on Saturday deployed heavy forces across Yemen's capital Sanaa, residents told Xinhua.
"Sanaa University students organized a peaceful demonstration to protest against the collapse of the country's national currency and demand economic reforms. But the Houthi rebels used military forces against them," a Sanaa-based resident said on condition of anonymity.
The Houthi rebels fired live ammunition against the gathering of the protesters and arrested many of them, the resident added.
Another resident confirmed that elite pro-Houthi forces, including female soldiers, were deployed in several neighborhoods in Sanaa to suppress demonstrations and arrest the organizers.
"About 16 girls arrested by Houthis were released after signing to never participate in demonstrations in Sanaa," said a Sanaa-based journalist who asked to remain anonymous.
Meanwhile, state-run Saba news agency reported that the pro-Houthi forces stormed Sanaa University campus and arrested more than 50 students.
"Buses full of gunmen entered Sanaa University and started using electric shock batons against the students of the Economy and Commerce Faculty," Saba cited witnesses as saying.
The Houthi gunmen took the arrested students to unknown locations after confiscating their phones and personal belongings, Saba said.
Meanwhile, Houthi-controlled media outlets reported that security forces in Sanaa arrested a number of elements who admitted receiving funds and instructions from the Saudi-led Arab coalition to destabilize the situation in the capital city.
Demonstrations demanding economic reforms took place in different provinces of the impoverished Arab country.
In the southwestern province of Taiz, hundreds of protesters took to the streets for the third consecutive day to demand solutions that might stop the country's currency collapse.
Elsewhere in Yemen, military leaders loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) based in Aden Province "called for massive demonstrations to oust the government accused of rampant corruption."
In response, the Yemeni government and its Interior Ministry beefed up security measures around government institutions in Aden and vowed to protect the city from sabotage elements.
The southern port city of Aden, where Yemen's government is temporarily based, has been suffering from frequent power outages and basic services shortage, leading to public anger against local authorities.
Yemen has been locked into a civil war since Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened militarily and began pounding Houthi-controlled Sanaa in March 2015 in response to a request from internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to protect Yemen.
The internal military conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government recently entered its fourth year, aggravating the suffering of Yemenis and deepening the world's worst humanitarian crisis in the country.
