Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Prime Minister of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, has announced his resignation. In a statement released Saturday, he declared his decision to step down from his position.
Facing a series of challenges, including his failure to bring about reforms within the government, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak stated in the announcement that he has decided to resign from the post of Prime Minister.
Six sources from within the Yemeni government told British news agency Reuters that the resignation was triggered by a power struggle with Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council. Previously, Mubarak had requested the dismissal of at least 12 cabinet ministers, a proposal that was rejected by al-Alimi. This rejection exposed the power struggle between the two leaders.
The sources also indicated that Yemen’s Finance Minister Salem Saleh bin Buraik may take over as the new Prime Minister following Mubarak’s resignation.
Ahmed Awad had served as Yemen’s foreign minister for an extended period before being appointed Prime Minister in February last year. In 2015, he was kidnapped by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. He rose to prominence as the Chief of Staff to then-President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi during the conflict with the Houthis.
The resignation announcement comes amid a rise in U.S. airstrikes targeting Houthi military facilities and efforts to dismantle their capability to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Since Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency in January, the United States has launched its largest military campaign in the Middle East against Houthi rebels, starting in March.
Yemen has been mired in civil war for over a decade. In 2014, the Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and overthrew the government. In the face of intense Houthi pressure, the ousted administration fled to the southern port city of Aden. Currently, the Iran-backed Houthis control most of the northern and western parts of Yemen.