Yemen PM Bin Mubarak resigns over 'political dispute'

The prime minister of Yemen 's internationally recognised government said on Saturday he was resigning due to political struggles, underscoring the fragility of an alliance fighting Houthi rebels in the country.

Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak announced the decision in a post on social media, attaching a resignation letter directed to Rashad Al Alimi, head of the ruling presidential council.

The internationally recognised government is based in the southern city of Aden. Bin Mubarak, named prime minister in February 2024, said he was resigning because he was unable to take "necessary decisions to reform the state institution, and execute the necessary Cabinet reshuffle."

Within hours of the announcement, the presidential council named Finance Minister Salem Saleh Bin Braik as prime minister, according to the state-run SABA news agency.

The council also named Bin Mubarak as an adviser to the ruling body, without addressing his claims.

Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said Bin Mubarak's resignation capped months of simmering tensions between the prime minister and the ruling council over the mandate of each party.

He said Bin Bubarak was in part a scapegoat for the government's failure to address the towering economic challenges in the government-held areas, including soaring prices and repeated power outages.

Associated Press