DUBAI: The premier of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, former diplomat and foreign minister Ahmed Bin Mubarak, announced his resignation on Saturday saying he was unable to take decisions because of ‘limited powers’.

Yemen’s government withdrew to Aden in the south after Houthi fighters seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and then went on to control most population centres in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.

A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of beleaguered government forces in 2015, but with little success.

“I have just met with His Excellency the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr Rashad Al-Alimi, and resigned as Prime Minister,” Bin Mubarak posted on X, also sharing his resignation letter. “I could not exercise my constitutional powers and take the necessary decisions to reform government institutions or implement rightful governmental changes,” the letter said.

Move comes as Houthis target key shipping routes and US intensifies attacks

His move comes as the Houthis wage a campaign of missile attacks on Israel and target shipping in key waterways in what they say is a show of solidarity with Palestinians over the conflict in Gaza.

Bin Mubarak said that despite the obstacles he had managed to achieve “many successes in a short space of time”, citing fiscal and administrative reforms and an anti-corruption drive.

However, analyst Mohammed Albasha, of the US-based Basha Report Risk Advisory, said that Bin Mubarak had been “in constant friction with the Presidential Leadership Council”.

Albasha said the main driver behind the resignation was that “Bin Mubarak wanted to be more than Prime Minister — he wanted the powers of the presidency. That aspiration isolated him politically.

‘Deep divisions’

“His drive for greater power — viewed by many as fuelled by personal ambition — led to repeated confrontations with key ministers and most Council members,” Albasha said. “Over time, this power struggle eroded trust,” he added.

Bin Mubarak, Yemen’s former ambassador to the United States, is a staunch adversary of the Houthis, who abducted him in 2015 and held him captive for several days. He previously served as chief of staff of the presidential office and was also appointed Yemen’s envoy to the United Nations in 2018.

He was appointed foreign minister in 2018 and prime minister on Feb 5, 2024.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2025