My dismissal plays into Houthi hands, says former Yemen PM

Demotion is ‘coup against legitimacy of the government’

ADEN // Yemen’s former prime minister yesterday expressed his anger at being demoted in a cabinet reshuffle. Khaled Bahah was removed from the posts of prime minister and vice president by president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi on Sunday due to “failures that have accompanied the performance of the government”.

Brig Gen Ali Al Ahmar was appointed vice president and former communications minister Ahmed Obaid bin Daghr was made prime minister. Mr Bahah was given a position of presidential adviser, which at the time he described as “opening a new chapter” in his service to the country.

Yesterday, however, he released a long statement in which he described his demotion as “a coup against the legitimacy of the government”.

He said his dismissal went against a UN resolution aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen and the outcomes of a national dialogue and a GCC-brokered agreement to transition power from former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was brought down by 2011 Arab Spring protests.

Mr Bahah said the office of prime minister should be the one deciding on the government ministers rather than the president.

He added that the timing of his dismissal played into the hands of the Houthi rebels with whom the Yemeni government has been fighting since 2014. “These decisions will give the leaders of the coup [the Houthis] an excuse to doubt the legitimacy of the government,” he said. Mr Bahah said that he had accepted the position of prime minister under difficult circumstances only to serve the country and not for self interest. His dismissal comes days ahead of a ceasefire scheduled to start on Sunday, to be followed by UN-mediated talks in Kuwait from April 18. The Yemeni government forces have been backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition as they try to drive the Iran-backed Houthis and their allies out of the territory they seized in 2014.

A delegation of Houthi rebels have been in Riyadh holding talks with Saudi officials in recent days . Yesterday , Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsallam said there had been agreement on a number of measures to restore calm to the border areas between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

In a statement posted on his Facebook account, Mr Abdulsallam said the Houthis would halt fighting in areas, including Midi district, to facilitate the beginning of dialogue this month.

A delegation of Houthi rebels have been in Riyadh holding talks with Saudi officials