Yemeni PM returns to interim capital Aden from Riyadh

By Zakaria al-Kamaali

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr on Friday returned from Riyadh to the city of Aden -- Yemen’s interim capital -- days after a limited cabinet reshuffle was announced, according to a Yemeni government official.

Bin Daghr returned to Aden following a two-week visit to Riyadh where he had held consultations with Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the official told Anadolu Agency, preferring anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

The PM arrived at the Aden International Airport early Friday afternoon, accompanied by newly-appointed members of his cabinet, the same source said.

On Monday, Hadi announced a limited government reshuffle in which new cabinet members were named to head up Yemen’s interior, agriculture, irrigation, petroleum and transport ministries.

Yemen has remained in crisis since 2014, when the Shia Houthi militia overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, forcing Hadi’s government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains and shoring up Hadi’s pro-Saudi government.