Thousands of people have demonstrated in Sanaa to demand both the removal of Shia Houthi fighters who control the Yemeni capital as well as the country's president.

The demonstrations on Saturday were the first of their kind demanding President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi step down since he took over the presidency after a popular revolt toppled his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in 2011.

Many in the streets chanted slogans accusing Hadi of mismanaging the country to the point where state institutions collapsed and fighters could take over.

The demonstrators, from a variety of political groups, also denounced Wednesday's attack on a police academy in Sanaa that killed 38 people, calling for a swift investigation and trial of the culprits.

They have named their protest the Rejection movement and similar protests took place in the central city of Ibb and in Taez, Yemen's third-largest city.

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Demonstrators accused Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi of leaving the country vulnerable [Reuters]

Aljazeera