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Yemen: Bin Daghr Warns Against Downsizing GPC

Newly recruited militant holds a poster of the Houthi movement's leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi. (Reuters)
Newly recruited militant holds a poster of the Houthi movement's leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi. (Reuters)
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Yemen: Bin Daghr Warns Against Downsizing GPC

Newly recruited militant holds a poster of the Houthi movement's leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi. (Reuters)
Newly recruited militant holds a poster of the Houthi movement's leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi. (Reuters)

Facing Houthis' attempts to downsize the General People's Congress (GPC), Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr called the party’s leaders to unite under the leadership of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Reliable sources in Sanaa accused Prime Minister of the coup government Dr. Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor that he was persuaded by al-Houthi militias to remain in his position and to turn a blind eye to the killing of Saleh and his companions. The group promised Bin Habtoor and other GPC ministers financial privileges and having their situations settled within the party’s new structure, which will be announced during the coming days, added the sources.

In this context, Houthi official sources revealed that President of the Houthi Supreme Political Council Saleh al-Samad met on Saturday bin Habtoor and discussed with him developments on the national level.

The Houthi edition of SABA mentioned that Samad was briefed during his meeting with Bin Habtoor on the government report of achievements for 2017 in diverse sectors as well as the government’s plan for 2018 and its keenness to have procedures and steps that are capable of enhancing the economic and living conditions of citizens, reinforcing the governmental performance and improving revenues.

In a post on Facebook, Bin Daghr wrote that the GPC members will commit a huge mistake if they accept to divide the congress after it was unified by the uprising of Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. “Every step towards dividing the GPC is a step towards the unknown,” he said, warning of the party’s collapse due to ignorance and irrational emotions.

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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.