SANAA, Yemen: Yemen’s president-in-exile stepped aside on Thursday and shifted his powers to a presidential council, as international and regional efforts to end the country’s long-running civil war led to a two-month ceasefire. gained momentum with
Saudi Arabia and United Arab EmiratesKey players in the conflict appear to have played a role in the President Abed Rabbo Mansoor HadiIt was quickly welcomed with a pledge of $3 billion in aid. The head of the new council has close ties to Riyadh.
Whether the Switch Peace will accelerate the end of the war remains to be seen, as UN-sponsored talks are at a standstill and fighting, airstrikes and missile strikes continued through the end of last month. The Houthis did not immediately comment on Hadi’s announcement.
Peter Salisbury, Yemen expert international crisis group, described the transfer of power as “a big deal”. The development, he tweeted, “is the most consequential change in the internal workings of the anti-Houthi faction since the start of the war.”
According to a statement broadcast on state-run media, Hadi said the newly established council would run an internationally recognized government and lead talks with the Iranian-backed Houthis.
The move is meant to unite the anti-Houthi camp after years of conflict and disputes, and was almost certainly held in Riyadh, where Yemeni factions are meeting last week to discuss efforts to end the war. Were.
“With this announcement a Presidential Leadership Council will be established to carry out the implementation of the tasks of the transitional period. I irrevocably delegate my full powers to the Presidential Leadership Council,” Hadi announced on Yemen’s state TV.
Hadi also dismissed Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a powerful military figure, and delegated al-Ahmar’s powers to the Presidential Council.
The presidential council is chaired by Hadi’s adviser Rashad al-Alimi and the government of the late President Ali Abdullah, a former interior minister. Saleh,
Al-Alimi has close ties with Saudi Arabia and other political groups inside Yemen, including the powerful Isla Party – the branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen.
The council has seven other members who have political and military influence on the ground in Yemen. This includes Aydars al-Zubaidi, the head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council – an umbrella group of heavily armed and well-financed militias. United Arab Emirates From 2015.
Sheikh Sultan al-Ardah, the powerful governor of the energy-rich Marib province, was also named a member of the council. So was Tariq Saleh, a militia leader and nephew of the late president, who has close ties to the United Arab Emirates.
Hadi was named Yemen’s president in 2012 with the mission of overseeing a democratic transition following the Arab Spring uprising that ended Saleh’s long-time rule.
However, the Houthis, a religious movement turned rebel militia, allied with Saleh and seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, forcing Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia.
Months later, Saudi Arabia formed a military coalition and entered the war to try to restore Hadi’s government to power.
The conflict has become a regional proxy war in recent years that has killed more than 150,000 people, including more than 150,000 civilians. It has also caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
Welcoming Hadi’s move, Saudi Arabia urged the presidential council to initiate UN-led talks with the Houthis to seek a “political, final and comprehensive” solution to the conflict, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. can be searched.
The powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also met with the head of the council and its members, according to Saudi state-run TV.
The warring sides announced a two-month ceasefire earlier this month, the first nationwide conflict in Yemen in six years.
Hadi’s announcement came as Yemeni talks, convened by the Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council, entered their final day on Thursday. The Houthis boycotted efforts supported by the GCC because they were taking place in Saudi Arabia, their adversary’s territory.
Saudi Arabia and United Arab EmiratesKey players in the conflict appear to have played a role in the President Abed Rabbo Mansoor HadiIt was quickly welcomed with a pledge of $3 billion in aid. The head of the new council has close ties to Riyadh.
Whether the Switch Peace will accelerate the end of the war remains to be seen, as UN-sponsored talks are at a standstill and fighting, airstrikes and missile strikes continued through the end of last month. The Houthis did not immediately comment on Hadi’s announcement.
Peter Salisbury, Yemen expert international crisis group, described the transfer of power as “a big deal”. The development, he tweeted, “is the most consequential change in the internal workings of the anti-Houthi faction since the start of the war.”
According to a statement broadcast on state-run media, Hadi said the newly established council would run an internationally recognized government and lead talks with the Iranian-backed Houthis.
The move is meant to unite the anti-Houthi camp after years of conflict and disputes, and was almost certainly held in Riyadh, where Yemeni factions are meeting last week to discuss efforts to end the war. Were.
“With this announcement a Presidential Leadership Council will be established to carry out the implementation of the tasks of the transitional period. I irrevocably delegate my full powers to the Presidential Leadership Council,” Hadi announced on Yemen’s state TV.
Hadi also dismissed Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a powerful military figure, and delegated al-Ahmar’s powers to the Presidential Council.
The presidential council is chaired by Hadi’s adviser Rashad al-Alimi and the government of the late President Ali Abdullah, a former interior minister. Saleh,
Al-Alimi has close ties with Saudi Arabia and other political groups inside Yemen, including the powerful Isla Party – the branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen.
The council has seven other members who have political and military influence on the ground in Yemen. This includes Aydars al-Zubaidi, the head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council – an umbrella group of heavily armed and well-financed militias. United Arab Emirates From 2015.
Sheikh Sultan al-Ardah, the powerful governor of the energy-rich Marib province, was also named a member of the council. So was Tariq Saleh, a militia leader and nephew of the late president, who has close ties to the United Arab Emirates.
Hadi was named Yemen’s president in 2012 with the mission of overseeing a democratic transition following the Arab Spring uprising that ended Saleh’s long-time rule.
However, the Houthis, a religious movement turned rebel militia, allied with Saleh and seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, forcing Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia.
Months later, Saudi Arabia formed a military coalition and entered the war to try to restore Hadi’s government to power.
The conflict has become a regional proxy war in recent years that has killed more than 150,000 people, including more than 150,000 civilians. It has also caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
Welcoming Hadi’s move, Saudi Arabia urged the presidential council to initiate UN-led talks with the Houthis to seek a “political, final and comprehensive” solution to the conflict, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. can be searched.
The powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also met with the head of the council and its members, according to Saudi state-run TV.
The warring sides announced a two-month ceasefire earlier this month, the first nationwide conflict in Yemen in six years.
Hadi’s announcement came as Yemeni talks, convened by the Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council, entered their final day on Thursday. The Houthis boycotted efforts supported by the GCC because they were taking place in Saudi Arabia, their adversary’s territory.