Yemen / Middle East · Public record
Yemen's president dismisses ministers and military officers after Houthi gains
The UN-recognised government has replaced political and military leaders following territorial losses to Houthi forces in September and the failure of an October counteroffensive. The dismissals also reflect pressure from southern Yemenis demanding greater representation in a government that critics say operates from hotels in Riyadh rather than inside Yemen.
What happened
The UN-recognised government of Yemen has dismissed ministers and military officers in an attempt to regain territory lost to the Houthis in September and lift the four-week siege of Taiz, the country's third largest city. President Rashad al-Alimi sacked the long-serving information minister, Muammar al-Eryani, replacing him with Prof Salem al-Awlaki, previously a minister for the civil service and a spokesperson for the Southern Transitional Council from 2017 to 2019.
Alimi appointed two other southerners as ministers for local administration and the civil service and installed new leaders for the civil aviation authority, the ports of Aden and the ministry of transport. He also dismissed Yusuf al-Sharaji, the military figure responsible for the Taiz front, and Abu Bakr al-Jabouli, a brigadier responsible for the Tor al-Baha axis. The task of lifting the siege of Taiz and coordinating forces has been handed to Maj Gen Rashad al-Yousfi, a career officer.
A counteroffensive launched on 5 October and aimed at liberating the entire country from Houthi control has failed amid fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides. Reuters reported on Monday that Houthi forces were only about 37 miles from Aden, the nominal seat of the UN-recognised government.
Why this is happening
The dismissals and appointments reflect military reverses and possibly a perceived need to be more sensitive to the demands of southern Yemenis, according to the source. Between 1967 and 1990, the country was divided in two, and there is a strong movement built around the banned Southern Transitional Council seeking to revert to that division or create a more federated country.
The government has become dependent on southern troops to fend off Houthi advances, but these forces insist they will fight only to defend land inside former South Yemen. The air superiority of the government's ally Saudi Arabia, which has had to fend off near-daily Houthi attacks on its airports and military bases, has not translated into progress on the ground.
The ruling executive, the presidential leadership council, met for the first time in months in Riyadh earlier this week, where it addressed the loss of swathes of territory to the Houthis along Yemen's west coast. Some of the most senior figures in the UN-backed government are largely based in hotels in Riyadh rather than operating permanently from inside Yemen, and the government is dependent on Saudi money to pay salaries. Critics say the administration has become a hotel government.
Who is affected
Widespread accusations had been made about al-Sharaji's failure to manage operations, resulting in the fall of several areas and districts to the Houthis. Fresh claims were aired this week that STC leaders were coerced by the Saudis into dissolving the organisation against their will. The growing criticism of Saudi Arabia from STC officials in the media reflects their confidence that if the north is lost to the Houthis, the Saudis will have to let the STC operate openly.
Tension exists between different forces fighting on the government's side. It has been claimed that Abu Zara'a, the leader of the Southern Giants, has fallen out with the Homeland Shield Forces, which are funded by Saudi Arabia and affiliated with Abdulrahman al-Lahji. The Homeland Shield experienced heavy losses, leading al-Lahji to file an official report accusing Abu Zara'a of treason and warning that the situation in Dhubab, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, had become extremely dangerous for the government.
Repeated claims that control of the strait had been wrested back from the Houthis were contradicted by the evidence. Since the meeting in Riyadh, the fighting has moved into the mountains around Taiz.
What to watch
- Whether Maj Gen Rashad al-Yousfi succeeds in lifting the siege of Taiz in coming weeks
- Whether Houthi forces advance closer to Aden from their reported position 37 miles away
- Whether the Saudis permit the banned Southern Transitional Council to operate openly if the north falls to Houthis
- Whether tensions between Abu Zara'a's Southern Giants and the Homeland Shield Forces escalate or are resolved
What we don't know yet
- Whether the new appointments will translate into military gains on the ground
- The exact number of casualties from the fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides
- Whether claims that STC leaders were coerced by the Saudis into dissolving the organisation are accurate