Career Diplomat and Yemen's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Shayea Mohsen al-Zindani has been appointed as the republic's new foreign minister. The decree to this effect was signed on Tuesday by Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi, the Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council.
Al-Zindani succeeds Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who became Yemen's new prime minister in February. A seasoned diplomat, Al-Zindani has served as Yemen's ambassador to Saudi Arabia since 2017 until his ministerial appointment. Previously, he headed Yemen's diplomatic missions in Jordan, Italy, and the UK, and worked at the republic's mission to the UN. Since 1986, he was the deputy foreign minister in the government of South Yemen with the capital in Aden and retained this position until 1991, even after the unification of Yemen and the proclamation of the republic in 1990.
Yemen has been embroiled in an ongoing confrontation between government forces and supporters of the rebel Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement since August 2014. The conflict entered its most active phase in March 2015 when a Saudi Arabia-led coalition joined the fray. The civil war in Yemen has led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. According to the UN, more than 24 million Yemenis (approximately 80% of the country's population) are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the number of internally displaced persons exceeds 4 million.
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Based on materials from TASS