Saeed Al-Batati

AL-MUKALLA: The president and other members of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council on Tuesday took the oath of office before a rare session of the parliament in the southern port city of Aden. 

Led by veteran Yemeni politician and security official Rashad Al-Alimi, the eight-man council was formed on April 7 after Yemen’s former President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi passed his powers to the council that would run the country and lead peace and war efforts with the Iran-backed Houthis. 

The council is made up of leaders of powerful military units such as the Giants Brigades and the National Resistance, as well as the Southern Transitional Council and the governors of various provinces. It is expected to bring together fragmented political and military forces under its umbrella and would also be responsible for addressing the country’s thorny issues, including crumbling services and falling currency. 

The swearing-in ceremony was held at an undisclosed location in Aden, the interim capital of Yemen, amid tightened security measures and was attended by the UN and US envoys to Yemen, EU and Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors to Yemen and senior Yemeni officials. 

During the same session, the parliament also reposed its trust in the government of Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik Saeed and its plan to revive the economy and boost revenues. 

Abdul Baset Al-Qaedi, undersecretary at Yemen’s Information Ministry, told Arab News from Aden that the gathering was “historic” as all the country’s major bodies, including parliament, the Shoura Council, the government and the president of the country were in Aden for the first time since the beginning of the war. 

“This is truly a historic and long-delayed session that will show results,” Al-Qaedi said.

Western envoys who attended the ceremony expressed hopes that the new council would help achieve a comprehensive peace deal to end the war in Yemen. 

“A moment of hope for many Yemeni citizens. We trust the council will work toward a just and inclusive peace in Yemen,” Peter-Derrek Hof, the Dutch ambassador to Yemen, said on Twitter.