The pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat said that the fact that the Yemeni President moved to Aden means that Yemen now has two governments and two capitals. “Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi is recognised by the United and Nations and Yemeni political powers including Al Houthis. This conflict can divide Yemen into at least two countries, except if Al Houthis and their ally and co-conspirator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, begin to withdraw once they realise that this game has now become a dangerous one. In Aden, there is a government that is recognised by the UN and the international community. The world’s major powers were also prepared for this step; they got Hadi out of the grasp of Al Houthis by shutting down their embassies a few days earlier. It is expected that a government, representing Al Houthis and their allies in the coup, will be declared in Sana’a. This government will not be recognised in the local or international arena.”

Commenting on the prevailing situation in Yemen, the UAE’s Al Bayan said this is perhaps the most critical and defining moment in the country’s history. “This situation demands unconditional unity to thwart Al Houthis’ scheme to drag the country into the unknown. The political powers in the country shoulder a large portion of the responsibility in withdrawing from and rejecting any dialogue that includes Al Houthis, until the group undoes its coup against legitimacy in Yemen. President Hadi is the only one who is capable of unifying the ranks of Yemenis, and the country’s political powers and civil institutions, and save it from various threats by implementing the Gulf Cooperation Council’s initiative. He is capable of implementing the resolutions of the National Dialogue Conference, which will impede the efforts of a group attempting to carry out its own agenda.”

‘Dictatorial coup’

Al Houthis need to stop what they are doing, and reconsider their reckless and arrogant approach ever since they rode the wave of the uprising and transformed it into a military coup, said the pan-Arab Al Quds Al Arabi. “Al Houthis have to acknowledge that seizing control over the homes of officials or kidnapping them, and later responding to public protests with live ammunition is not an act of revolution, but rather a dictatorial coup. If Al Houthis had satisfied themselves with their entry into Sana’a, and refrained from taking power by force, they would have retained public support that would have helped them achieve all gains in record time. It is true that the escape of Hadi does not change the balance of power, and any political settlement cannot overlook the reality that Al Houthis have created. However, it can force them to dismiss the illusion that they can rule the country on their own.”

Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper noted that the UN Security Council shoulders the responsibility for stability in Yemen, and supporting what is legitimate by rejecting Al Houthis’ coup. “The UN Security Council must take all necessary measures, including [adopting] Chapter VII, to help Yemen find a way out of this dangerous impasse. The international community must work towards putting the political process back on track through the GCC initiative. It has to force the insurrectionists to hand over power to the legitimate president because it is not possible for a sect to seize control through force. All steps that have been taken by the insurrectionists are illegitimate and have no [legal] basis, and seem like attempts ‘beautify’ a coup that is rejected by all.”