Story highlights President's nephew kidnapped by Houthi rebels, officials say

Protesters turn out in support of Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi

Hadi says he's still president after escaping from house arrest

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi filled the streets of seven Yemeni provinces on Sunday, one day after Hadi escaped house arrest in the capital, Sanaa.

Hadi had been under house arrest for a month after he resigned under pressure from Houthi rebels. But he escaped and released a statement saying he is still president, calling all political decisions made since September illegal and invalid.

A nephew of the president was kidnapped Sunday by Houthi rebels, two security officials in Ibb province told CNN. The nephew, Nasser Ahmed Mansour Hadi, was heading to the seaport province of Aden, where the President fled after escaping from house arrest in the capital, Sanaa.

Protesters called for Hadi to stand against the Houthi coup. Sanaa saw the largest demonstrations urging Hadi to end militant occupation of Sanaa.

"The Houthis thought they could not be stopped, and it only took hours for them to fall in the eyes of the people. Yemen has a president and the people will stand with him to uproot the Houthi militants from Sanaa," Ali Al-Saedi, a protest organizer in Sanaa, told CNN.

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