Yemen Appoints New Prime Minister Amid Political Tensions and Ongoing Conflict

Yemen's presidential council has appointed Salem Saleh Bin Braikas as the country’s new prime minister, replacing Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who resigned citing persistent political challenges. Bin Braikas previously served as finance minister in the former cabinet.

Mubarak, who took office as prime minister in February 2024 after a tenure as foreign minister, stepped down after what he described as “many difficulties,” including the inability to restructure the government. According to six government sources cited by Reuters, Mubarak had requested the dismissal of 12 ministers, but the move was blocked by Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s presidential council, leading to a power struggle between the two officials.

Mubarak first gained international attention in 2015 when he was kidnapped by Houthi forces while serving as presidential chief of staff during their takeover of the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis, an Iran-backed militia, have controlled most of northern and western Yemen since seizing the capital in 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government to operate from the southern city of Aden.

Meanwhile, the United States has stepped up airstrikes targeting Houthi military infrastructure in response to continued attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. These strikes, ongoing since March, represent the most significant U.S. military operation in the region since Donald Trump’s presidency began in 2017.

Yemen’s civil war, now in its second decade, remains one of the world’s most complex and devastating conflicts, with deep political divisions and foreign interventions continuing to hinder any lasting peace. The appointment of Bin Braikas adds a new layer to Yemen’s volatile political landscape as international and domestic pressures escalate.