Yemen's presidential council pledges to investigate Aden unrest

ADEN, Yemen

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council has pledged to conduct a comprehensive investigation into recent violent events in the interim capital, Aden, and hold accountable those accused of attempting to attack state institutions.

This came during a council meeting held in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday, in the presence of Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani via video conference, Yemen's official Saba news agency reported.

The meeting reviewed "developments in Aden in light of the recent events the city witnessed, including attempts to attack state institutions, disrupt their work, and use the street as a tool of pressure to achieve illegitimate political objectives," it said.

On Friday, Aden’s security committee said armed groups had gathered near the Maasheq Presidential Palace and attempted to storm it, while also confronting security forces.

The presidential council reported casualties in the unrest, which it denounced as an attempt to target state institutions in Aden, a day after the newly formed government convened its first meeting there.

It stressed commitment to “responding firmly to any attempt to disrupt its national institutions, and to opening a comprehensive investigation into these events and holding accountable anyone proven to be involved in inciting or financing them.”

It renewed its appreciation for Saudi Arabia for hosting a conference on the country’s south, calling it “an unprecedented level in addressing the southern issue, as a just cause with historical and social dimensions that requires a fair solution within the framework of the state and its guaranteeing references.”

The council also warned against “squandering this historic opportunity under the pressure of slogans or narrow calculations,” calling for the protection of gains achieved at the security, service, and economic levels, Saba added.

On Feb. 6, the council announced the formation of a new government headed by Zindani, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio.

The lineup followed weeks of consultations in Riyadh aimed at easing tensions between the internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council and reaching a consensual framework for the next phase.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul