Yemen's beleaguered government on Saturday named a brother of slain former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, for years an enemy of the state, to a top army post.

A presidential decree published on the state-run Saba news agency named Ali al-Humeiri, half-brother of Saleh, head of Yemen's army reserve.

The position is little more than ink on paper, insiders say, as the troops are effectively controlled by Yemen's Huthi rebels on the ground.

A local government official in Aden confirmed that the reserve was under the control of the Huthis, who in 2014 joined ranks with former president Saleh to drive the government out of the capital Sanaa.

The appointment could, however, signal an overture between the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, which has fought the Huthis for four years, and political factions still loyal to slain Saleh, the official said.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen since March 2015, when a regional military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened with the aim of pushing the Huthis from Sanaa and restoring the government to power.

The Iran-backed Huthis have only tightened their grip on the capital after gunning down Saleh in December, following weeks of accusations that he had been holding secret talks with the Saudi-allied government.

The Yemeni army has since splintered, with factions in the capital Sanaa maintaining loyalty to the Huthis, other brigades allied with the Saudi-led coalition and some troops in southern Yemen standing by separatists who want to restore independence.

More than 2,300 Yemenis have died of cholera and 70 of diphtheria amid deteriorating hygiene and sanitation conditions, the World Health Organisation says.

The Yemen war has triggered what the United Nations calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Multiple rounds of UN-brokered talks have failed to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Related Links
Space War News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Russia 'complicit' in Assad atrocities: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) March 15, 2018
Russia is "complicit" in atrocities perpetrated by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because of its "deliberate" choice to violate terms of a ceasefire in besieged Eastern Ghouta, the Pentagon said Thursday, in comments hammered home separately by the US national security advisor. Thousands of civilians poured out of Eastern Ghouta as the capture of a key town brought Syria's government even closer to retaking the devastated rebel enclave outside Damascus. "The Russians made a deliberate choice n ... read more