Yemen’s ousted president withdraws resignation

Yemen’s deposed president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has withdrawn his resignation and has been meeting with senior security advisers and provincial governors in his hometown, Aden.

A member of parliament said Hadi had submitted a letter to the assembly on Monday, withdrawing his resignation as the country’s president, which he had tendered in January after Shia Houthi rebels took control of government.

Hadi escaped from the capital, Sanaa, on Saturday after being under house arrest for a month. 

The Arab Gulf countries have supported Hadi’s attempt to reconsolidate his status as the legitimate president and on Monday called on Yemenis to support him.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Vall, reporting from Aden, said Hadi has been trying hard to regain control of the country.

“He has been meeting with senior security advisers from and also governors of provinces here in the south. He is also going to meet more governors from the north. We understand that many provinces in the north have announced allegiance to Hadi.”

Our correspondent said that the governors would come to Aden to meet Hadi face-to-face in a show of support.

The powerful tribes of Bani Hilal in the southern province of Shabwa displayed their loyalty to Hadi in a military parade on Monday.

And in Taiz, in central Yemen, protesters urged Hadi to expel the Houthis and resume control of Sanaa.

In Sanaa, thousands of anti-Houthi protesters marched to Hadi’s residence to signal their support for him.

After his escape from the capital, Hadi released a statement declaring that he is still president of Yemen, and calling all political decisions made since Houthis took over Sanaa in September illegal and invalid.

Hadi assumed office in 2012 after spending 17 years as vice president under ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.