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Yemen President Steps Aside in Boost for Efforts to End War

Saudi Arabia, UAE to Give $3 Billion to Yemen in New Peace Push

Yemen’s president handed power to a governing council as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pledged $3 billion to support the transition, building on moves to end a war with Iranian-backed Houthi fighters that spilled across the Persian Gulf.

The choreographed steps could add momentum to fragile peace efforts, which received a boost last week when all of Yemen’s warring factions agreed to a two-month truce timed to begin with the start of the Ramadan religious holiday. 

The war, now in its seventh year, has fueled a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. The Houthis, meanwhile, have escalated their attacks on Saudi energy, military and civilian facilities this year, and conducted their first deadly strike on UAE soil using drones and missiles.

Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who led the internationally-recognized government from exile in Riyadh, fired his deputy and delegated powers to the transitional body, state-controlled Saba news agency reported Thursday. 

A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE has been fighting to restore Hadi’s government since 2015 when the Houthis swept through the country’s north and took over its capital, Sana’a. While the UAE and others have privately demanded Hadi’s ouster, accusing him of hindering efforts to unite anti-Houthi groups, Saudi leaders had until now resisted those calls.

The so-called Presidential Leadership Council will be headed by Rashad Al-Alimi, a close aide to Hadi, and include a member of a southern separatist group that has in the past clashed with forces loyal to the outgoing president, as well as other prominent figures. 

The move “is important for two reasons,” said Adam Baron, a political analyst focused on Yemen. It brings non-Houthi factions into one bloc and shifts “away from heavily centralized presidency to a more inclusive one,” he said. Coming amid significant “behind the scenes progress in the peace process, it could also help to set the stage for talks with the Houthis.”

Saudi Arabia urged the new council to start negotiations with the Iranian-aided group under UN supervision, and hopes the transition underway will lead to a peace deal, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The kingdom and the UAE also agreed to provide $1 billion each to Yemen’s central bank, state-run SPA reported. Saudi Arabia will also give $1 billion to purchase oil products and support development projects.

Humanitarian Catastrophe

As the Houthis stepped up their attacks, Gulf states and Israel have been pushing the U.S. to formulate a security strategy for the Middle East at a time when Washington is attempting to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

The atomic accord failed to address worries over Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities or its support for militias, including the Houthis, they argue.

The UN earlier this month said all sides agreed to the truce that started April 2. Under the terms of the cease-fire, ships carrying fuel will be able to enter the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port, while commercial flights can operate in and out of Sana’a airport to some destinations in the region.

Saudi Arabia also said Thursday it will provide $300 million to the UN humanitarian program in Yemen.

The war has been devastating for Yemenis. The UN estimates that 377,000 people had likely died as a result of the conflict up to the end of 2021. About 24.1 million people -- 80% of the population -- were in need of humanitarian aid and protection, with 14 million in acute need and more than three million displaced from their homes since 2015, according to the world body.

Hadi’s removal is the latest step toward ending their misery, but previous attempts to bring peace have failed, analysts warned.

“Many, many obstacles remain,” Thomas Juneau, professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, said on Twitter. “But if there is to be serious progress eventually, sidelining Hadi one way or another was always going to be a necessary, but far from sufficient, step.”

In a closing statement at the end of consultations in Riyadh that was read by Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, parties acknowledged the military campaign had failed and called for peace talks with the Houthis. 

The group was dismissive. Chief Houthi peace negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam said in a tweet the talks in the Saudi capital were “farcical.” Yemen’s future must be decided within the country, he added.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.