PM of Yemen's internationally recognised government resigns

 The prime minister of Yemen ’s internationally recognized government said Saturday he was resigning and cited political struggles, in a decision underscoring the fragility of the anti-Houthi alliance in the Arab world’s most impoverished country.

Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak announced the decision in a post on social media, attaching a resignation letter directed to Rashad al-Alimi, head of the ruling presidential council. The internationally recognized government is based in the southern city of Aden.

Bin Mubarak, named prime minister in February 2024, said he was resigning because he was unable to take “necessary decisions to reform the state institution, and execute the necessary Cabinet reshuffle.”

There was no immediate comment from the presidential council.

Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened months later and has been battling the rebels since 2015 to try and restore the internationally recognized government to power. The war has turned into a stalemated proxy conflict.

The seven-member presidential council was appointed in 2022 with the aim of unifying the anti-Houthi block, but has since been divided into two main blocs.

One is loyal to council member Aydarous al-Zubaidi, who chairs the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella group of heavily armed militias propped up by the United Arab Emirates since 2015.

The second is loyal to Saudi Arabia and includes al-Alimi and Sheikh Sultan al-Aradah, the powerful governor of energy-rich Marib province.

Bin Mubarak’s resignation came as the United States has increased its attacks on the Houthis in Yemen. The U.S. military has launched nearly daily strikes in Houthi-held areas since March 15, when President Donald Trump ordered a new, expanded campaign against the rebels.

The war has devastated Yemen and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. More than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, have been killed.

https://apnews.com/article/yemen-war-houthis-396ff367cfd3dd1866c5042f1abc882b