Calm Prevails, But Where Does Yemen Go After Resignations?

Houthis Retain Control Over Capital City

by | Jan 23, 2015

A day after President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, his entire cabinet, and the prime minister resigned, calm prevailed over the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, even as international officials warned of a “power vacuum.

Houthi rebels maintain effective control over the capital and indeed much of the nation, and while some of their officials welcomed Hadi’s resignation, the group itself took no official position.

Hadi and the other officials were in talks with the Houthis on a power-sharing deal, but clashes erupted when the talks stalled, leading Hadi’s supporters to claim a coup was being carried out.

Yemen’s parliament, such as it is, rejected Hadi’s resignation, and held emergency meetings on trying to resolve the situation. So far, they’ve not managed to resolve anything, however, and Hadi’s return seems unlikely.

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.

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