The internationally recognized presidential council of Yemen unexpectedly fired Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed on Sunday, appointing Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak as his replacement. The shakeup comes during escalating tensions as a US-led coalition bombs Yemeni areas held by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
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The council provided no reason for sacking Saeed, who had served as premier since 2018. But the move installs a new Saudi-aligned prime minister just as the conflict intensifies over Houthi attacks on shipping lanes in response to Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza.
Yemen has faced civil war since the 2014 Houthi takeover of the capital, Sanaa, which prompted Saudi-led intervention the following year. The resulting devastation and humanitarian disaster has killed over 150,000 people. Saudi Arabia recently held talks with the Houthis, seeking to exit the stalemated war.
But after October’s Gaza conflict began, the Houthis started disrupting Red Sea shipping to aid Hamas. Their common backer, Iran, has hampered peace efforts. The attacks brought ongoing waves of US and British airstrikes.
New PM Bin Mubarak, formerly Yemen’s ambassador to the US, fiercely opposes the rebels. He first gained notice when the Houthis abducted him in 2015 during infighting with the president, stoking unrest. The episode showcased the Houthi aggression that led to the war.
It remains unclear why the leadership reshuffle was ordered now. But Bin Mubarak’s close Saudi ties and hostility toward the Houthis signals a tougher line against the rebels attacking ships as the US rains down strikes. The shakeup comes at a tense new phase in Yemen’s complex conflict just as victory seems farthest away.
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