Yemen President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi transfers powers to new council

Yemen’s exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has transferred his powers to a new presidential council and dismissed his deputy. The move comes as Saudi Arabia moved to strengthen an anti-Houthi alliance amid UN-led efforts to revive negotiations to end a bitter seven-year war.

Riyadh announced financial aid of 3 billion dollars to the Saudi-backed government after the announcement by President Hadi. It called for talks



with the Houthi group that controls the north and has been battling the Saudi-led coalition.

In a major breakthrough, Yemen's warring sides agreed last week to a two-month truce that began on Saturday. The truce is the first since 2016. The deal eased a coalition blockade on areas held by the Houthis, who ousted Hadi's government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.