Political council to form government in Yemen, says senior Houthi leader

A senior Houthi leader said on Friday that the High Political Council, which was announced on Thursday, is to form a government to run Yemen, Anadolu news agency has reported. The council consists of ten members, five each from the Houthis and forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It will aim to run the “political, military, security, economic, administrative, social and other affairs” of the country.

According to Abdul-Malik Al-Ajri, the council will not only form a government but also fight the “aggression” against Yemen. Anadolu said that this refers to the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and Yemeni President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Saudi Arabia launched the coalition in March last year, saying that it was a response to a call by the Hadi government to counter a coup and restore legitimate rule. Since then, more than 9,000 people have been killed and 2.8 million are displaced.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon criticised the formation of the council. The “unilateral” decision, claimed Farhan Haq, was not in line with the peace process and endangered “the substantial progress” made during the Kuwait talks. “It is a clear violation of the Yemeni constitution” he added, “and the provisions of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] initiatives and implementation mechanism.”

The talks in Kuwait have actually failed to achieve any progress because the Houthis and Saleh’s forces insist on being part of a unity government. The Yemeni government refuses to accept this before the rebels’ withdrawal from Sana and a number of other Yemeni cities.