It’s time for the international community to stop ‘recognising’ Hadi’s ‘government’

Omar Ahmed

Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, President of Yemen [z_sattam/Twitter]

In spite of having no substantial physical political presence in Yemen, and no formal armed forces on the ground, the media is insistent on running with the same, tired expression of “the internationally recognised legitimate government” of the fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who has apparently been running the country from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, since he fled Yemen in 2015.

It has now been over a month since the signing of the Riyadh Agreement, which was hailed as ushering in peace in the south, not only among the warring factions of Hadi’s forces, which largely consists of Islamist, Islah militia and Sudanese mercenaries against the Security Belt forces, who are aligned with southern separatists, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), but it was also hoped to simmer down the tension between the patrons of these two parties, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) respectively, both partners in the anti-Houthi coalition in the north, but backing opposing sides in the south.

No longer ‘Iranian proxies’

It was also a month ago that I argued that this agreement will fall flat in its objectives, namely due to the fact that Hadi doesn’t have any concrete authority in Yemen, and the real political legitimacy lies with the National Salvation Government (NSG), which has been ruling the capital Sanaa since 2014. Its power-base was formed from of an alliance between the Ansar Allah movement, the Yemeni military and remnants of the General People’s Congress political party – however the same news outlets who are trying to convince us of the “internationally recognised” government, are the same ones peddling the misleading narrative, that the NSG are merely “Houthi rebels” or “Iranian proxies”, following Tehran’s orders.

Houthis patrol around after the clashes between Houthis and Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s supporters took place in Sanaa, Yemen on 5 December 2017 [Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency]

Essentially, this agreement stalled the inevitability that the Saudis, and the wider international community, will have to accept the reality that the NSG (“Houthis”) are the legitimate government in Yemen. I am using the past-tense here because the agreement is void and no longer exists – it was signed on 5 November and included a 30-day deadline in forming a new cabinet of 24 members, equally split from the north and south. I concluded with the revelation that the Saudis had acknowledged that they had opened channels of communication with the Houthis.

In fact, a few days following the signing of the accord, the UAE minister of state for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, conceded that the Houthis will have a role in post-war Yemen. In more recent developments, Saudi foreign minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, has suggestively indicated that the Houthis are in fact, a legitimate entity, stating “all Yemenis, including the Houthis have a role in the future of Yemen.”

It would now appear that the Trump administration has also done an ‘about-face’ on its policy on Yemen, having once framed the conflict as being an Iranian proxy war, they are now trying to downplay Iran’s involvement. Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, went from declaring in September that Iran was “controlling and deploying” the Houthis as a “terror front”, to now stating that “Iran clearly does not speak for the Houthis.” I mentioned back in September how this Iranian connection has been exaggerated and misrepresented by the media. One needs only to refer to a 2015 article which stated that Iran, for example, had in fact warned the Zaydi movement against taking over Sanaa. Indeed, the Houthis, as with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, are actually acting independently, albeit with assistance from Tehran. 

Who speaks for the south?

The Riyadh Agreement was always problematic from the outset, because although on paper it was plausible, the reality on the ground, in particular in the interim capital city of Aden, was another thing entirely. There are constant reports of violent clashes between Hadi’s mercenaries and the southern separatist forces. Additionally, there has been a steady increase in assassinations across the city, with the STC hinting liability with Hadi’s associates. Hampering conciliatory efforts, the STC are also refusing to vacate the presidential palace in the city. There are also reports that the former president of the Democratic People’s Republic of Yemen, Ali Nasser Mohammed, has warned the STC against plans to seize his home in Aden province, captured by the separatists last July.

It is important to recognise that the STC does not speak for all southerners, nor for the Southern Movement. There is the Southern National Salvation Council (SSC) based in Mahrah, who not only oppose both Saudi and Emirati interference in Yemen, but had opposed the Riyadh Agreement from its inception, noting that “the agreement gives legitimacy to regional militias affiliated abroad,” with reference to the STC.

The director of Human Rights for Yemen, Kim Sharif, explained to MEMO that the SSC is composed of the “original secessionists” and that the STC are widely regarded as a “traitor entity” by most southerners, as they are a party formed by the UAE who are using and exploiting the memory of the South Yemen state.

Illegitimacy of Hadi vs legitimacy of the NSG

Sharif agrees that the Hadi government lacks legitimacy, because following the election where he stood as the sole candidate, he was appointed as president for a transitional period of two years as part of the Gulf Initiative back in February 2012, reluctantly accepted by many, to avoid further bloodshed. Under the initiative, elections were to be held within the transitional period.

However, this failed to materialise and according to Sharif, under Hadi assassinations and terrorist attacks began to increase “funded by the Saudis,” and with a reliance on the Islah Party militia, who have close ties with General Mohsen Al-Ahmar, the vice president whose links to Al-Qaeda are well-documented. Hadi formerly resigned from the presidency in 2015, but has held onto the position ever since, giving him “zero legitimacy”. “There’s no such thing as an ‘internationally recognised government’ under international law. This is sheer abuse of the terms of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations and is a totally unacceptable trespass on the sovereignty of the state of Yemen,” Sharif continued.

Meanwhile, with regards to the legitimacy of the National Salvation Government based in Sanaa, Sharif described the 2014 takeover within the context of the failure by Hadi to carry out elections as per his mandate. Additionally, under International Customary Law, whomever takes control of the capital of any country is considered the “de facto” government. In order for this to be ratified, the government has to become “de jure”. Sharif argues that such a government must first follow an “internal legislation process”, which the Sanaa government has done by preserving national institutions, creating the Supreme Council, which includes all political parties including southern secessionists and operates within the existing constitution.

Furthermore, it is the Yemeni armed forces who are subservient to the NSG, in addition to the “Popular Committee” (Houthi fighters), who are the ones defending the nation against foreign aggression enacted by the Saudi-led coalition. These points and the fact that the NSG entered into the “Tribal Honour Agreement 2015” with all tribes, given that tribal rule still plays a vital role in Yemeni politics, ensures that the NSG based in Sanaa are the legitimate government in Yemen.

Although a southerner, Sharif herself is supportive of the NSG and AnsarAllah, as they have a common goal in liberating Yemen from the foreign aggression and occupation. The ultimate aim being “uniting all factions in the south with a view of freeing Yemen from all foreign occupation.”  She is confident that this movement will succeed “in partnership with our brothers and sisters in the north.”

International recognition

The National Salvation Government is not only arguably the legitimate government of Yemen. The Yemeni armed forces and its alliance with AnsarAllah has proven that they are indeed the most powerful entity in the country, with an ever-developing arsenal, they have recently announced an improved air defence system, capable of “neutralising” coalition aircraft up to a projected 90 per cent in the year ahead, which is significant as according to Yemeni military expert, Brigadier General Aziz Rashid, the coalition depends on aircraft for 85 per cent of its operations. They have shot down several drones in the past two weeks, in addition to an Apache helicopter belonging to the Saudis. Just today, at the time of writing, the Yemeni armed forces downed a Saudi spy plane over the Jizan region.

As the Riyadh Agreement gradually fades into obscurity, and the Saudis and its allies begin to sue for peace and pay for the damage that they caused, in the realisation that it is the Houthi government which is the legitimate power and authority in the country, it is high time that the international community start recognising this too, at the expense of the puppet government based in Riyadh headed by Hadi, who effectively has been held in captivity there and does not speak for the Yemeni people nor has control of the armed forces. Peace, stability and an end to the man-made humanitarian crisis is achievable with the help of this international community, who have been delusional for far too long.

Saudis Trying to Run From Yemen Trap: Report

SANAA (Kayhan Intl.) -- Yemenis loyal to former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi feel deeply sidelined by Saudi Arabia's direct talks with Houthis, a London-based news portal says.
According to Middle East Eye (MEE), Riyadh does not discuss its existing engagement of the Houthis with the "weak” pro-Hadi regime.
"Saudi Arabia is trying to find an exit from the trap it fell into," Muhammad Ali, a journalist and commentator from the southwestern city of Ta'izz, told MEE.
Riyadh has admitted having an "open channel” with the Yemeni movement to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Last month, the Associated Press reported that Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been holding "indirect, behind-the scenes talks” mediated by Oman.
The talks reportedly began in September after a Houthi attack on the world’s largest crude oil facility in Saudi Arabia temporarily impacted nearly six percent of daily global production.
The Houthis reportedly offered to stop launching attacks on Saudi targets if the kingdom ended its airstrikes in Yemen. They later unilaterally released hundreds of prisoners, while the Saudis freed 128 Yemenis on Thursday.
The Hadi regime is apparently incensed, thinking that the communication between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is aimed at ending attacks on the kingdom.
According to an unnamed Houthi source in Sana'a cited by the Middle East Eye, the current talks are not part of the UN-brokered Stockholm agreement.
The Stockholm agreement was between the Houthis and Hadi, "but now the negotiations are between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia,” the source said.
On Tuesday, a statement carried on Saudi state media said the kingdom would ease restrictions on Yemeni airspace to allow flights out of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, which is administered by a coalition including the Houthis.
According to MEE, the agreement between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis and lifting blockade on Yemen was reached in Oman, but Hadi's delegates were not involved in the negotiations.
Saudi Arabia made the concession after three of its border brigades were captured by Yemenis in August and the Houthis bombed oil facilities in September, the report said.
Hadi's deputy prime minister Abdulaziz Gubari warned Saudi Arabia last month not to sign any bilateral agreement with the Houthis.
Abdulghani Rageh, a pro-Hadi military leader in Ta'izz, said the talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have sidelined the former Yemeni president.
"The Houthis are the winners of the talks,” he said, claiming that battles have calmed down on the Saudi borders but not on local fronts.
Ali told MEE that Saudi Arabia prioritizes its safety and economy over all other issues.
Hadi and his regime, he said, are "only helpless followers of Saudi Arabia" and Riyadh prefers to discuss any solution with the Houthis instead of its "weak” proxies.
Saudi Arabia launched its military aggression against Yemen in 2015 in an attempt to reinstate Hadi and eliminate the Houthis.
With those objectives appearing more elusive than ever, the only way for Hadi seems to also engage the Houthis.
However, Hadi and his high-ranking associates live outside Yemen and "none of them care about Yemenis,” Ali said.
"I hope to see Yemenis inside Yemen holding talks with the Houthis and reaching reconciliation internally. Solutions will come from within Yemen, not from another country," he added.

Yemen War Comes Home to Cripple Saudi Oil Installations

By: Kayhan Int’l

Saturday’s drone attack on the Shayba oil installations in retaliation for unabated Saudi state terrorism in Yemen, was so devastating that after the usual denials by the regime in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister in a bid to solicit more US and western support for the crimes against humanity of his British-created country, said in a shaky tone: "The target of this attack is the safety of global oil supply, not just the kingdom; it constitutes a threat to the global economy.”

It is obvious Khalid al-Falih’s claim is nothing but exaggeration when he calls the massive fire that engulfed the vital hydrocarbon complex "as a threat to global economy”. And contrary to Falih’s false claims the highly successful aerial attack was neither an act of ‘terror’ nor ‘sabotage’  

Nothing will happen to the world’s economy even if all of ARAMCO’s drilling, storage, and supply installations are destroyed, with no export of dirt-cheap crude anymore from Saudi Arabia.

In the eventuality of the collapse and disintegration of the cultish fiefdom that London established for its salaried servant, the desert brigand of Najd, Abdul-Aziz in 1932, in addition to freedom for the people of Arabia from nearly nine decades of the Wahhabi reign of terror, oil would reach its real price ending the heavily subsidized rates imposed by the West. 

Shaybah on the northern edge of the Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) Desert is a super-giant oil field located about 10 km from the borders of Abu Dhabi, the principal sheikhdom of the 7-nation United Arab Emirates (UAE) – until recently an accomplice of Saudi Arabia in the four-and-a-half year long war against the people of Yemen, before parting ways and ordering its proxies to seize the vital port city of Aden from the Riyadh-supported remnants of the regime of the fugitive from justice Mansour Hadi.

This means, the well-planned and decisive attack by a squadron of ten drones zooming on their target deep inside the aggressor state over a thousand kilometers from the Yemeni border, was a strategic move by the legal government based in Sana’a, and once again proved the indomitable nature of the popular Ansarallah Movement.

"We promise the Saudi regime and the powers of aggression bigger and wider operations if the aggression continues,” said Yemen’s military spokesman, as quoted by al-Masirah TV.

According to observers, whatever the defenders of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity have said in their statements, have proven to be true and confirms the range and power of their rapidly improving indigenous defence capabilities in the face of the sophisticated weapons of terror supplied by the US, Britain, and France to the aggressors.

Moreover, the Ansarallah have always maintained that they are ready to end the current crisis through talks among all the political, tribal, and religious groups of the country, without the involvement of outside parties, for the sake of preserving Yemen as a single and undivided state, which has bitter memories of the periodic massacres unleashed on the Yemenis by the Wahhabis ever since the massacre of at least five thousand Yemeni Hajj pilgrims in 1923 by Abdul-Aziz – two years before his bloodied seizure of Hijaz the Land of Revelation and desecration of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The Yemeni people have also not forgotten the Saudi occupation with British help since 1934 of their northern provinces of Najran, Aseer, and Jizan, which are regularly targeted by the Ansarallah, whose separate drone and missile operations incidentally on Saturday destroyed the airport control tower of Abha airport. 

As could be crystal clear to any impartial observer, Saudi Arabia, especially its de facto ruler, the self-imposed Heir Apparent Mohamed bin Salman (MBS), are clearly ensnared in the trap of their own making

Unfortunately, with wisdom missing from the harebrained heads of the Riyadh regime, the almost five-year long war may continue to claim its growing casualty toll, whether of the poor, besieged, and starving people of Yemen or of the Saudis, who in addition to having lost almost five thousand soldiers besides the wounding of more than twenty thousand others, will witness the descent of more missiles and deadly drones on their industrial/defence centres.     

Saudi Coalition in Yemen on Brink of Collapse

Amid Infighting Between UAE, Saudi Militants:

CAIRO -Kayhan Intl. - A Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen targeted its own allies with airstrikes Sunday, a day after southern separatists seized control of the strategic port city of Aden, threatening to fracture the Saudi alliance and open a new front in the five-year conflict.

Even before the damage from those strikes had been assessed, the United Nations on Sunday said that as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 injured in the previous four days of clashes in Aden that erupted on the eve of one of Islam’s holiest periods, Eid al-Adha. Tens of thousands of civilians in the Red Sea city nestled on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula have fled their homes, while many others remain trapped without basic necessities, UN officials and aid workers said.

"It is heartbreaking that during Eid al-Adha families are mourning the death of their loved ones instead of celebrating together in peace,” Lise Grande, the top UN humanitarian official Yemen, said in a statement. "Our main concern right now is to dispatch medical teams to rescue the injured. We are also very worried by reports that civilians trapped in their homes are running out of food and water.”

Yemen, the Middle East’s poorest nation, was already in the grips of what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The seizure of Aden has exposed divisions within a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that intervened in the conflict in March 2015. Together, they have been battling to restore a former regime which resigned and then fled to Saudi Arabia in 2015. 

"This weakens the coalition by exposing undeniable cracks beneath the surface,” said Elisabeth Kendall, a Yemen scholar at Oxford University’s Pembroke College. "It is becoming increasingly obvious that the UAE and Saudi Arabia do not share the same end goals in Yemen.”

Rifts have emerged over the past 18 months between the southern separatists, backed by the UAE, and forces aligned with former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia. 

The separatists, who want to split Yemen’s south from its north, have long been suspicious of the former Yemeni government, ruled for decades by northerners. The separatists, and the UAE, also disapprove of Hadi’s alliance with Islah party. While the Saudis consider Islah vital for its role in Yemen, the UAE is opposed to any significant role for Islah because of its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Clashes engulfed Aden’s streets after a missile attack on a military parade killed dozens of separatists fighters and a prominent commander last week.  

The violence was a major blow to Saudi Arabia and its ambition of restoring Hadi’s government. Aden had served as the government’s headquarters for several years, while Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, has been under the control of the Houthis.

Al-Qaeda and Daesh appear to be taking advantage of the security vacuum in Yemen’s south, said Kendall, who monitors both groups. In the first week of August, Al-Qaeda undertook seven operations in as many days targeting UAE-backed forces, a significant uptick in attacks. And Daesh launched two attacks in Aden, the first time it has targeted the city in more than a year.

Despite the calls for a ceasefire, the Saudi-led coalition opted to send a warning to the separatists with airstrikes late Saturday and early Sunday. The coalition did not specify where the attacks occurred, but separatist officials and aid workers said areas in the Dar Saad and Khormaksar districts, as well as around the presidential palace, were hit.

"This is only the first operation and will be followed by others .?.?. the Southern Transitional Council still has a chance to withdraw,” Saudi state TV quoted the coalition as saying, according to Reuters.

Hadi’s self-proclaimed information minister, Muammar Al Iryani, called the seizure of Aden a "coup against constitutional legitimacy”.