Yemen’s Prime Minister Salem bin Breik has resigned, and Shaya Mohsen Jindani has been appointed as his successor. Jindani previously served as the country’s foreign minister. According to Yemen’s official news agency Saba, bin Breik submitted his resignation to the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council on Thursday, which promptly accepted it. Within hours, the council announced Jindani’s appointment as the new prime minister.
The political backdrop in Yemen remains complex. Since 2014, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have controlled the capital Sana’a, forcing then-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to seek refuge in Saudi Arabia. In response, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemeni government forces formed a coalition to restore Hadi’s government and counter the Houthis.
The coalition has been conducting military operations against the Houthis since 2015. Nearly eleven years into the conflict, northern Yemen remains under Houthi control, while the Saudi-backed Presidential Council governs the southern region.