Sana’a: Yemen’s supreme revolutionary committee led by the Shia Houthi rebels said Tuesday that President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has lost legitimacy, Xinhua reported.
“The supreme revolutionary committee is monitoring the suspicious movements of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has lost legitimacy as the president of the Republic of Yemen,” the committee said in a statement carried by Yemen’s official Saba news agency that is controlled by the Houthi group.
The committee also warned state employees and officials not to deal with Hadi as president or execute his orders, and threatened that they would be subjected to legal accountability if they failed to comply with the orders.
The committee said it invited all “brotherly and friendly” countries to respect the choice of the Yemeni people and their decisions.
Yemen, one of the most impoverished countries in the world, has seen power struggle since January when Hadi and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah submitted resignations in protest against the Houthi group’s takeover of capital Sana’a. Following this, the Houthi rebels had put Hadi and Bahah under house arrest.
After almost a month under house arrest, Hadi announced Monday that he was carrying on with presidential duties after he left Sana’a and arrived in the southern port city of Aden Saturday.
In his statement released Saturday, Hadi condemned the Houthi takeover of the capital by force, and said that all decisions and appointments at military and non-military institutions which had been made since Sep 21 last year were illegal and invalid.
He also urged to end the house arrest of the prime minister and cabinet members.
He called on the international community to back the political process in Yemen and urged Yemeni authorities to adhere only to the constitutional legitimacy.
A government official based in Aden told Xinhua Tuesday that Hadi had officially decided to withdraw his resignation and carry on with his presidential duties in Aden.
“Late Monday night, President Hadi submitted an official letter to the parliament speaker and representatives, asking to withdraw his resignation,” the official said.
As the security situation in Yemen worsens, more than ten countries, including the US, Britain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Egypt closed their embassies in Sana’a and evacuated the diplomatic staff.
The Houthi rebels Monday rejected a proposal by UN envoy Jamal Benomar to help in the progress of the UN-sponsored talks that aim to resolve the prolonged political crisis to Aden.
Yemen’s political parties have resumed talks Feb 9 under the mediation of Benomar to resolve the crisis.