Sana’a: Yemen’s interim unity government was yesterday sworn in, in the presence of the country’s acting president Abd Rabbo Manosur Hadi while the outgoing president is preparing to leave for the US for treatment.
The government of Mohammad Salem Basindowah, is shouldered with the responsibility of returning the country to political and financial stability.
Shortly after the ceremony, Hadi chaired a meeting of the cabinet in which he reminded them of their role during the transitional period.
“Yemenis are counting on the success of this government to take the nation out of this crisis. The government is responsible for handling all the reasons behind the crisis.”
The General People’s Congress (GPC), Hadi’s party, retained some key posts such as defence, oil and foreign affairs. The opposition is in charge of interior, media and finance.
The outgoing president Ali Abdullah Saleh received in the presidential palace members of the former government.
GCC secretary-general Abdul Latif Al Zayani arrived here on Saturday. Earlier, Al Zayani’s office in Riyadh issued a statement applauding the birth of the government and security team.
“That the formation of the government and the Military Committee represent two steps forward in the implementation of the GCC initiative and its practical mechanism, which is part of the peaceful transitional process aimed at sparing the country violence and bloodshed.”
Al Zayani, along with the UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar, were the driving forces that led to the ratification of the GCC deal.
Saleh in US soon
An official from the GPC said on Saturday that Saleh is due to seek treatment in New York for injuries sustained in a bomb attack on his presidential palace on June 3.
“Mr. President’s doctor in New York advised him that he must travel to the US for treatment. He will come back before the new elected president swears-in.” Sultan Al Barakani, party’s spokesman told Gulf News by telephone. Al Barakani did not give a date for Saleh’s departure.
Sectarian fighting
The ministry of interior said on Saturday that Al Houthi rebels had hatched a plot to expand areas that they control and planned to reach an area overlooking the Red Sea. The ministry stated that security forces kept a tab on calls between Al Houthis and tribesmen in the coastal city of Hodeida. The rebels were planning to overrun the Malhan mountain in the vast coastal plains of Teham.
Meanwhile, fierce sectarian battles erupted on Friday night and Saturday morning between Al Houthi rebels and a group of fighters who defend a Salafist-besieged school in the north province of Sa’ada.
A Sunni fighter, who is also a student at the school, told Gulf News on Friday that the fighting erupted when Al Houthi rebels, who are Shiites, tried to seize control of a strategic location overlooking the school.
“The Al Houthis attacked us on the mountain but we managed to repel their attack. Three of our fighters were killed and two injured. I saw the bodies of two Al Houthi rebels and they managed to escape with six other bodies,” he said.
The fighter, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that armed men from Yemen’s powerful tribes joined them in their recent battles with Al Houthis.
Dozens of people have been killed since September 18 when Al Houthi militants imposed a blockade on Dar Al Hadeen School, that teaches religious education. The city, where the school is situated, remained the only place out of the control of Al Houthis.
