SANAA: Yemeni women held rare protests in Sanaa yesterday, demanding that the capital's rebel authorities hand over the body of slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, reports AFP.

Around 20 women, dressed head to toe in black, did not hide their loyalty to the leader of three decades, who was killed by the Iran-backed rebels on Monday after their uneasy alliance collapsed.

"There is no God but God and the martyr is a friend of God," they shouted in front of the Saleh mosque, the largest in the capital and named for the former president. The rebels dispersed the protest but video footage of the women fleeing the scene was posted on social media.

A second group of women gathered in front of Sanaa military hospital, shouting: "The people want the remains of the leader," witnesses said.