Saudi Newspaper Calls for Replacing Yemen’s Hadi Government

Argues government is a 'burden' on Yemen and Saudi coalition

Five years into the Saudi invasion of Yemen, Saudi newspaper Okaz has broached a subject that previously no one within the country has raised, whether everyone might not be better off replacing Yemen’s Hadi government.

Since reinstalling Hadi was the whole stated point of the Saudi invasion, this was clearly never brought up before. It perhaps should have, since Hadi’s electoral mandate, involving a rigged election, ended six years ago.

The Okaz editorial argued that Hadi’s coalition is a burden on both Yemen and the invading coalition, with much of its leadership in Riyadh, and more than a few officials working with rival factions.

Whether this amounts to a test balloon by the Saudi government or just an Okaz editorial isn’t clear. It would be unusual, even for a private Saudi newspaper, to bring this up however if it wasn’t at least under consideration.

As for the process, other factors may include that the Saudis aren’t allowing certain members of the Hadi government out of Riyadh, and Hadi himself has been described as effectively under house arrest in Saudi Arabia at times. The Hadi government at times undermines the Saudis’ negotiations on peace deals, however, and with the war dragging on far beyond expectations, the Saudi Kingdom may believe it simpler to just “settle” the matter instead of continuing to work toward reinstalling someone who is at best a dubious ruler.

Author: Jason Ditz

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.