New Yemeni gov't sworn-in in Saudi capital

By Shukri Hussein
SANAA (AA) – Yemen’s new government was sworn in Saturday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, before Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik, was formed under the Riyadh Agreement between the Yemeni government and the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to a Yemeni government source, the premier and all ministers took the oath in Riyadh, except Local Administration Minister Hussein al-Aghbari, who insisted on taking the oath in the temporary capital Aden.

On Dec. 18, the Yemeni Presidency announced the formation of a power-sharing government containing 24 ministers selected on equal basis between northern and southern provinces as stipulated in the Riyadh Agreement. The new government includes five ministers from the STC.

The Riyadh Agreement was signed between the Yemeni government and the STC in November 2019 under the sponsorship of the Saudi-led coalition, putting an end to military clashes between forces of both parties.

Yemen has fallen into civil war in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the conflict in Yemen has so far claimed the lives of 233,000 people.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara