Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, the prime minister of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, announced his resignation on Saturday, citing “many difficulties,” including his inability to carry out a cabinet reshuffle.
His exit follows conflict with Rashad Al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s presidential council, over his powers after the latter refused Mubarak’s request to dismiss 12 of the government’s ministers, as reported by six government sources.
They said Finance Minister Salem Saleh Bin Braik was set to be appointed the new prime minister.
Mubarak was appointed premier in February 2024 after serving as foreign minister. He came to prominence in 2015 when he was kidnapped by Iran-aligned Houthi militia while serving as Yemen’s presidential chief of staff during the Houthis’ conflict with then-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The prime minister’s resignation also reflects frustration over limited authority in key decision-making and lack of progress in political reforms. His exit comes at a time when U.N.-mediated talks for a peace agreement have shown signs of movement, and leadership changes could impact Yemen’s positioning in those negotiations.
Resignation Amid U.S. Conflict
Mubarak’s resignation, which he announced in a statement, came with the U.S. intensifying airstrikes to take out Houthi military assets and deter them from targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
U.S. airstrikes on the Ras Isa fuel port in western Yemen in April killed 80 people, wounded 170 others, and caused widespread damage to fuel storage infrastructure.
The deadly strikes on the group since March have been the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.
Yemen has been embroiled in civil war for over a decade. The Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and ousted the recognised government, forcing it to relocate to the southern port of Aden. The Houthis now hold most of the country including its main population centres in the north and west.
(With inputs from Reuters)
