Yemen announces formation of new government

ISTANBUL

Yemen announced on Friday a new Cabinet comprising 24 ministers, including some representing the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), according to local media.

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik was reassigned to head the new Cabinet, official Saba News Agency reported quoting a decree issued by the Yemeni Presidency.

In the new government, the STC and the current government will share power equally.

The new Cabinet was formed under the Riyadh Agreement, which was signed between the government and STC in November 2019 following a month of fighting.

The move comes after the completion of the measures related to the military part of the Riyadh Agreement.

The Yemeni army and UAE-backed separatist forces of the STC on Dec.11 began to withdraw from contact lines in the Abyan province as part of the deal.

The very next day, STC forces began withdrawing from the Aden province in southern Yemen.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara