Yemeni Government Collapses as President and Prime Minister Resign
President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi of Yemen abruptly resigned Thursday night and his entire government stepped down, leaving the country leaderless and possibly opening the way for armed Houthi rebels to take control.
A United Nations official confirmed that Mr. Hadi had resigned immediately after a meeting with his Houthi political opponents, hosted by the United Nations envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, in an effort to resolve the political crisis that has gripped the capital, Sana, for days. Just one day earlier, the two sides had reached an agreement to end the fighting, and aides to Mr. Benomar said he had hoped to ensure that the agreement was carried out.
With Houthi fighters already in control of much of the capital and many areas of northern Yemen, it seemed likely that they would take at least de facto control of the government.
More: Yemeni Government Collapses as President and Prime Minister Resign