Yemen's Saudi-backed government has taken the first step towards formality with the announcement of a new cabinet led by Shaya Mohsin al-Zindani as prime minister. Al-Zindani will also serve as foreign minister in this position.
A total of 34 members are part of the new government, including ten existing officials from previous governments and three women. Marwan Faraj bin Ghanim has been appointed as the Minister of Finance while Mohamed Abdullah Ali has been confirmed to be Oil Minister. Taher Ali al-Uqaili will serve as defense minister in this position.
This new cabinet was formed after months of negotiations held in Riyadh with the goal of reducing tension between Yemen's government and southern separatist group, The Southern Transitional Council (STC), which announced its dissolution on January 9th.
The STC gained control over areas across southern and eastern Yemen last year and had advanced to be close to Saudi borders, but Saudi-backed fighters have since taken back these areas. The formation of this new cabinet may serve as a step forward in reducing tensions between Yemen's government and STC.
Meanwhile, Yemen faces several challenges including conflict with Iran-backed Houthis, which has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Saudi Arabia and UAE had previously worked together against the Houthis but they are now facing issues with oil output.
The United Nations has warned that Yemen's crisis is worsening as needs rise, and humanitarian access has become more restricted due to funding shortfalls. More than 18 million people in Yemen, which account for half of the population, will face acute food insecurity in February while tens of thousands could fall into catastrophic hunger, facing famine-like conditions.
Overall, this new cabinet's formation may signal the beginning of a more stable government and pave the way for improved relations with southern separatist groups and other international partners.
A total of 34 members are part of the new government, including ten existing officials from previous governments and three women. Marwan Faraj bin Ghanim has been appointed as the Minister of Finance while Mohamed Abdullah Ali has been confirmed to be Oil Minister. Taher Ali al-Uqaili will serve as defense minister in this position.
This new cabinet was formed after months of negotiations held in Riyadh with the goal of reducing tension between Yemen's government and southern separatist group, The Southern Transitional Council (STC), which announced its dissolution on January 9th.
The STC gained control over areas across southern and eastern Yemen last year and had advanced to be close to Saudi borders, but Saudi-backed fighters have since taken back these areas. The formation of this new cabinet may serve as a step forward in reducing tensions between Yemen's government and STC.
Meanwhile, Yemen faces several challenges including conflict with Iran-backed Houthis, which has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Saudi Arabia and UAE had previously worked together against the Houthis but they are now facing issues with oil output.
The United Nations has warned that Yemen's crisis is worsening as needs rise, and humanitarian access has become more restricted due to funding shortfalls. More than 18 million people in Yemen, which account for half of the population, will face acute food insecurity in February while tens of thousands could fall into catastrophic hunger, facing famine-like conditions.
Overall, this new cabinet's formation may signal the beginning of a more stable government and pave the way for improved relations with southern separatist groups and other international partners.
. 34 members in the new gov? feels like just a PR stunt to calm the situation. what about the 18 million people facing acute food insecurity? did anyone even consider that when forming this cabinet? 
also, why are they appointing more officials from previous governments? doesn't that just perpetuate the same old system? 
... But seriously, I think it's a step in the right direction for Yemen. Having more women and officials from previous governments in the new cabinet could bring some fresh perspectives to the table 
.
... But I guess that's what makes Yemen so challenging.
... Only time will tell, but fingers crossed for the people of Yemen 
I think this is all just a smokescreen, you know? Like, the government is trying to distract us from the real issues. This new cabinet, it's just a bunch of face-saving measures, but what about the underlying problems? The Houthis are still wreaking havoc, and the funding shortfalls are just a symptom of a bigger issue... like, who's really behind all this? 
I mean, Saudi Arabia and UAE are always playing both sides, right? It's like they're juggling too many balls at once. And what about those women in the new cabinet? Are they being groomed for something specific? 
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this is all just a carefully crafted illusion... 
. I mean, it's not like they're going to magically fix all the problems overnight, but having a solid government in place is a huge step forward 
. And let's be real, 3 women in the cabinet? 
That's progress, right there! 
Taher Ali al-Uqaili as defense minister? Sounds like they're putting their best foot forward 
. I'm actually kinda hoping the tensions with southern separatists and Iran-backed Houthis ease up 
... not that it's going to be a cakewalk or anything 
. But hey, being optimistic over here 
.
. The conflict with Iran-backed Houthis is still going on and it's affecting millions of people. And then there's the issue with oil output, that's like, a huge deal for the economy 
️.
. But I do think that with improved relations with southern separatist groups and other international partners, things might get a bit better.
. They deserve it after everything they've been through 
. With the Houthi conflict and the humanitarian crisis, it's like Yemen is being pulled in too many directions at once 
. And then there's this whole thing with oil output and Saudi Arabia and UAE not seeing eye to eye... 
It's gonna be tough for them to get their act together and make progress, but at least they're trying, right? Maybe this new cabinet will be the turning point they need 
Like who is this Shaya Mohsin al-Zindani guy supposed to be the big cheese? And what's up with the lack of transparency about how these cabinet positions got decided? Shouldn't we know more about who was involved behind the scenes in those Riyadh negotiations? 
34 members is a big deal! and that marwan faraj bin ghanim is going to be the finance minister, so fingers crossed for a stable economy 
It's crazy that 18 million people are going to face acute food insecurity in Feb - it's just not right.
. It's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out!
. But let's get real, it's gonna take a lot more than just changing leaders to resolve Yemen's massive issues. I mean, 34 members in the cabinet? That's cute. Where are the actual solutions for addressing food insecurity and oil output problems? And what about those Houthis? They're still causing chaos. It feels like Saudi Arabia is just putting a Band-Aid on their own foreign policy failures 
. The UN needs to step up its game too, not just talk about Yemen's crisis without proposing concrete actions 
, at least we got some stability now. i mean, having more women in key positions like foreign minister is super cool 
. anyhoo, hopefully this new gov't brings some stability and reduces tensions between the gov and southern separatist group 
I think Shaya Mohsin al-Zindani being the prime minister is a good start, but what's up with all these officials from previous governments just getting shuffled into new roles? It feels like just a PR move to me...