The return of Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi from Saudi Arabia to the southern Yemeni city of Aden yesterday indicates the progress the Saudi-led coalition is making in their fight against the Houthi rebels. Hadi had fled the country after the Houthis captured the capital, forcing the Gulf countries to launch a military intervention. The campaign has been making steady headway and the Iranian-backed Houthis are in retreat after the collective onslaught of the government forces and the Gulf countries. The return of Hadi will further embolden the government forces. Hadi went straight to the palace to “supervise” the offensive aimed at retaking Taiz province, mostly controlled by the rebels. Hadi’s arrival comes just days after Prime Minister Khaled Bahah announced the return of his government to Yemen, and also at a time when the government troops and the Saudi-led coalition are pressing one of their most important offensives yet against Houthi rebels.
In September, after six months of exile in Saudi Arabia, Hadi and Bahah returned to Aden but had to go back to Riyadh after a deadly attack on the provisional seat of government. Since then the coalition forces had repelled the rebels and Hadi will now coordinate the fighting, ultimately paving the way for the full return of his government. The president will be staying at the Maashiq presidential palace in the central Crater district of Aden. The palace was severely damaged in the fighting that gripped Aden until July but was repaired by the coalition forces. Taiz is Yemen’s third largest city and regaining its control is crucial in the fight against rebels. The government forces and the coalitions allies have deployed significant reinforcements for the advance on the city and the city has witnessed heavy fighting in the recent months.
The arrival of the Sudanese forces has strengthened the coalition. A 400-strong Sudanese force arrived in Aden this month, joining 500 who arrived in October. The Sudanese forces are taking part in the Taiz operations. The fighting in Yemen has destroyed the country and millions of people are affected. The UN says that some 5,000 people, more than half of them civilians, have been killed in the fighting. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been identified by the United Nations as one of the world’s worst, with 80 percent of the country’s population on the brink of famine. Peace and stability must return to the country, which is possible only through reinstating the government of Hadi. The rebels must withdraw from their seized territory, as demanded by the Gulf countries, and must let the legitimate government govern.
The fighting has thrown into question the UN-brokered peace talks that has been planned for later this month.
The return of Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi from Saudi Arabia to the southern Yemeni city of Aden yesterday indicates the progress the Saudi-led coalition is making in their fight against the Houthi rebels. Hadi had fled the country after the Houthis captured the capital, forcing the Gulf countries to launch a military intervention. The campaign has been making steady headway and the Iranian-backed Houthis are in retreat after the collective onslaught of the government forces and the Gulf countries. The return of Hadi will further embolden the government forces. Hadi went straight to the palace to “supervise” the offensive aimed at retaking Taiz province, mostly controlled by the rebels. Hadi’s arrival comes just days after Prime Minister Khaled Bahah announced the return of his government to Yemen, and also at a time when the government troops and the Saudi-led coalition are pressing one of their most important offensives yet against Houthi rebels.
In September, after six months of exile in Saudi Arabia, Hadi and Bahah returned to Aden but had to go back to Riyadh after a deadly attack on the provisional seat of government. Since then the coalition forces had repelled the rebels and Hadi will now coordinate the fighting, ultimately paving the way for the full return of his government. The president will be staying at the Maashiq presidential palace in the central Crater district of Aden. The palace was severely damaged in the fighting that gripped Aden until July but was repaired by the coalition forces. Taiz is Yemen’s third largest city and regaining its control is crucial in the fight against rebels. The government forces and the coalitions allies have deployed significant reinforcements for the advance on the city and the city has witnessed heavy fighting in the recent months.
The arrival of the Sudanese forces has strengthened the coalition. A 400-strong Sudanese force arrived in Aden this month, joining 500 who arrived in October. The Sudanese forces are taking part in the Taiz operations. The fighting in Yemen has destroyed the country and millions of people are affected. The UN says that some 5,000 people, more than half of them civilians, have been killed in the fighting. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been identified by the United Nations as one of the world’s worst, with 80 percent of the country’s population on the brink of famine. Peace and stability must return to the country, which is possible only through reinstating the government of Hadi. The rebels must withdraw from their seized territory, as demanded by the Gulf countries, and must let the legitimate government govern.
The fighting has thrown into question the UN-brokered peace talks that has been planned for later this month.
