Yemeni Govt Announces New Ministerial Program, Pending Parliamentary Approval

Yemeni government meets in Aden, Yemen (Photo credit: Office of the Yemeni prime minister)
Yemeni government meets in Aden, Yemen (Photo credit: Office of the Yemeni prime minister)
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Yemeni Govt Announces New Ministerial Program, Pending Parliamentary Approval

Yemeni government meets in Aden, Yemen (Photo credit: Office of the Yemeni prime minister)
Yemeni government meets in Aden, Yemen (Photo credit: Office of the Yemeni prime minister)

The internationally recognized government in Yemen has successfully declared its ministerial program draft on Monday, preparing it for referral to parliament for approval.

According to official sources, the draft encompasses sections that cover security and defense, fiscal and monetary policies, economy and investment, infrastructure, energy and environment, general administration and good governance, human development, foreign relations, planning and information.

The draft is based on accurate analysis of outstanding challenges and most urgent needs, as well as policies and interventions necessary to cope with all challenges, reorganize and unite the military and security institutions in the face of Houthis, and mobilize resources from donors.

It is worth noting that the cabinet had assigned a ministerial committee, headed by Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, to prepare a draft ministerial program for the newly formed power-sharing government.

On December 18, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi announced a new government as part of his efforts to implement the political annex of the Riyadh Agreement which was signed by the government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

“The new program reflects the government's commitment and determination to start new course of work aimed at restoring the state, ending the Houthi coup and achieving economic stability and recovery,” said Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik at press conference in Aden after the cabinet holding an extraordinary meeting.

“The real criterion of this draft will be the assessment of progress based on achievement and implementation, requiring the government members to work according to different rational mechanisms to effectively tackle the challenges,” he told reporters.

Abdulmalik stressed that “every ministry should assume its full responsibility in implementing the obligations and undertakings stipulated in the government's ministerial program draft.”

The premier emphasized that the government’s vision is focused on recovery, stopping currency devaluation and economic decline and building state institutions. Restoring law and order and upholding principles of accountability are also part of the government’s new scheme.

Abdulmalik called on Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to provide his government with urgent support.



US Condemns Continued Houthi Detention of International Staff

A number of European Union ambassadors during their meeting with the Chairman of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, on a previous visit to Aden (Saba)
A number of European Union ambassadors during their meeting with the Chairman of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, on a previous visit to Aden (Saba)
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US Condemns Continued Houthi Detention of International Staff

A number of European Union ambassadors during their meeting with the Chairman of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, on a previous visit to Aden (Saba)
A number of European Union ambassadors during their meeting with the Chairman of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, on a previous visit to Aden (Saba)

US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin has condemned the continued detention by the Houthis of employees from the UN, non-governmental organizations and diplomatic missions.

Fagin issued a statement Friday on the 90th day in Houthi detention for the innocent employees.

“Today marks the 90th day in Houthi detention for innocent employees of the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and diplomatic missions; and more than 1,000 days of unlawful detention at the hands of this same terrorist group for twelve current and former employees of the US Mission to Yemen,” he said.

“That the Houthis have committed these extreme actions against fellow Yemenis is profoundly shortsighted, callous, and inhumane,” the statement added.

The Ambassador said that “Houthis have ripped people from their families and their homes based on fanciful and absurd accusations that are not in line with the real lives these people were living – that of commitment to family, to Yemen, and its future.”

He added that Houthi “actions also may exacerbate the suffering of Yemenis living under Houthi control, by jeopardizing critical humanitarian assistance.”

“We will not rest until our Yemeni colleagues are safely returned to their families, and we call on the Houthis to release all detainees immediately.”

The Houthi militias have, since early June, arrested and forcibly disappeared dozens of people, including at least 13 UN staff and many employees of nongovernmental organizations operating in their controlled territories.

The militia has expanded its campaign to include more than 70 employees of international and local organizations in areas under its control in northern and western Yemen, and has accused them of spying for foreign parties.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani has condemned the Houthis’ use of torture to extract confessions from staff working for the UN and international organizations.

He said such practices are due to the international community's leniency towards the violations committed by the Iranian-backed group.

The European Union Heads of Mission to Yemen have also expressed deep concern over the Houthis’ detention and disappearance for over three months of dozens of staff working for the UN, international and local organizations, calling for their unconditional release.