Al-Alimi urges Yemenis to mobilise, offers conditional amnesty to Houthi defectors
The Presidential Leadership Council chair called for enlistment through official channels as the government seeks to restore control over Sana’a and the country.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi has urged the public to support government forces, calling for enlistment through official channels or other contributions. In a recorded speech on Friday, he said the government aimed to restore state institutions and control over Sana’a and the rest of the country.
Al-Alimi also offered immediate amnesty to Houthi fighters who defect to government forces. Any pardon would be subject to constitutional and legal procedures; the speech did not set out eligibility or implementation details.
The address was his first since government forces were routed from Yemen’s western Red Sea coast, according to Al Jazeera. The Houthis seized Sana’a in 2014.
Al-Alimi delivered the speech on the 64th anniversary of the 1962 coup that ended the monarchy in northern Yemen and prompted civil war. Earlier on Friday, military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan held their first meeting on the Mecca Pact, Al Jazeera reported.
On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile headed towards Khamis Mushait and two drones headed towards Riyadh. The interception claim was made by the coalition.
