Yemen: Establishment of a new administration, including the Southern Transitional Council.

As part of a Saudi-brokered deal between the internationally recognized body and the Southern Transitional Council, a new Yemeni government was established. Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, led by former Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, decreed the establishment of the 24-member cabinet, said Yemen’s official news agency. Foreign Minister Ahmed Awwad Bin Mubarak and Defence Minister Gen. Mohammed Ali Al Maqdashi were appointed. The announcement comes after the mobilization of military forces, in accordance with the power-sharing agreement, was completed in southern Yemen. The agreement, officially called the Riyadh Agreement, was signed by the Yemeni government and the STC in November last year, ending a month-long feud between the two sides to re-focus efforts on combating the Al Houthi militia.

The agreement provides for the establishment, except Al Houthis, of a 24-strong government equally composed of Yemen’s southern and northern provinces. As part of the Riyadh agreement, a Saudi-led Arab alliance fighting in Yemen began supervising the redeployment process earlier this month. After overthrowing the internationally recognized government and overrunning the capital Sana’a in late 2014, Al Houthis, allied with Iran, plunged Yemen into a destructive war.