Yemen president quits, throwing country deeper into chaos

Young Yemenis watch a news chanel as Yemeni leader Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi is displayed on the screen on Jan. 22, 2015 in Sanaa. Hadi offered to resign amid a standoff with a powerful Shiite militia in control of the capital. AFP

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigned on Jan. 23, days after Houthi rebels battled their way into his presidential palace, plunging the unstable Arab country deeper into chaos and depriving Washington of a key ally against al Qaeda.
   
Hadi, a former general, blamed the Houthis' control of Sanaa for impeding his two-year-long attempt to steer Yemen toward stability after years of secessionist and tribal unrest, deepening poverty and U.S. drone strikes on Islamist militants.
   
The announcement startled the Arabian Peninsula country of 25 million, where the Iran-backed Houthis emerged as the dominant faction by seizing the capital Sanaa in September and dictating terms to a humiliated Hadi.
   
"This is a coup," said Ahmed al-Fatesh, a hotel security supervisor, suggesting Hadi had been bullied from office. "The Houthis took power by force. Hadi is a legitimate president and was elected by more than 6 million Yemenis. Hadi tried to bring the political forces together."
   
In the first sign that the turmoil would affect U.S. operations in Yemen, Washington said it had pulled out more staff from its embassy in Sana due to the worsening security situation.
   
"While the Embassy remains open and is continuing to operate, we may continue to re-align resources based on the situation on the ground," a senior State Department Official told Reuters.
   
U.S. authorities have made clear they want to avoid shutting the compound, which is important for counterterrorism cooperation with Yemeni security forces in the fight against a powerful al Qaeda branch based in the country.
   
The Houthi movement said it had no official reaction as yet to Hadi's resignation, but urged Yemenis to stage mass...

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