Yemen forms new government with Shaya Mohsin al-Zindani as prime minister

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Announces New Government Formation

The Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council has issued a decree to form a new government in Yemen. According to the state-run news agency Saba, Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani will serve as prime minister and continue to hold the position of foreign minister.

Al-Zindani was previously asked by the council to form a cabinet following the resignation of former Prime Minister Salem bin Breik last month. The new 34-member cabinet includes 10 ministers from the previous government, three women, and several high-ranking officials.

The government’s formation follows months of consultations held in Riyadh aimed at easing tensions between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a southern Yemeni separatist group that announced its dissolution on January 9. The STC had gained control of areas across southern and eastern Yemen, prompting Saudi Arabia to consider it a threat to national security.

The new cabinet includes Marwan Faraj bin Ghanim as minister of finance, Mohamed Abdullah Ali as oil minister, and Taher Ali al-Uqaili as defence minister. The formation of the new government comes amid ongoing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over various issues, including geopolitics and oil output.

The UN has expressed concerns about Yemen’s crisis, citing rising needs and restricted humanitarian access due to funding shortfalls. According to the UN, more than 18 million Yemenis will face acute food insecurity in February, with tens of thousands at risk of “catastrophic hunger”.

Source: Al Jazeera