This file photo taken on March 10, 2011 shows Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh after addressing loyalists in the capital Sanaa.

:: Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has officially announced the dissolution of his partnership with former Houthi militia allies.

“Zero hour is coming to the battlefield in Sanaa… The country had to be saved from the madness of the Houthi group,” Saleh said in statements on Monday morning.

Saleh urged an end to “militia rule on Yemeni land,” adding that Houthis had continued their “provocative acts against Yemeni citizens.”

The past three days have witnessed deadly clashes between supporters of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his former Houthi militia allies. The fighting raged at dawn on Saturday between the two sides, which led to at least 80 supporters from both sides killed.