JEDDAH: Yemen’s legitimate government, in a move to accelerate its restoration of state institutions, will transfer its Parliament to the interim capital of Aden, as well as start reconstruction projects and operations at Al-Mokha Port.
Mohammed Al-Shaddadi, deputy speaker of the Yemeni Parliament, said in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, that the Yemeni Parliament will soon begin to work from the interim capital of Aden.
“The parliament will carry out its governing and executive duties within the coming days, and work is currently ongoing to prepare a conference room to hold sessions while the headquarters is being prepared for the general secretariat to resume duties,” he said.
The deputy said the parliament will carry out its work from Aden following a decision from President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The Yemeni government also announced its reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by Houthi and Saleh militias in liberated areas. Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr made the announcement on Friday during his attendance of the laying of the foundation stone for a number of reconstruction projects in Aden, the Yemeni Press Agency reported.
He noted that the “wheel of development has spun once again.”
He said strategic projects scheduled to be rebuilt will advance the interim capital of Aden and overcome the stage of destruction brought on by the war, with participatory efforts from its citizens who made tremendous sacrifices.
Nasser Sharif Al-Khamis, deputy minister of transport, also announced plans to secure and revive the strategic Al-Mokha Port, as well as all other ports controlled by the legitimate government. He said the port is expected to resume operations in the coming days.
Shami Mohammed Al-Dhaheri, a Saudi rear admiral and strategy analyst, said Al-Mokha is considered one of Yemen’s strategic ports. It is located about 100 kilometers from Bab Al-Mandab, while a number of important islands in international navigation, such as Hanish Islands, are located off its coast. The port is also considered the sea front of Taiz, and with main roads linked Al-Mokha to Al-Hodaida, it is pivotal to liberating Al-Hodaida Port.
According to Al-Dhaheri, 10 of Yemen’s 12 ports have been liberated. Al-Hodaida and Al-Sareej ports remain in militant hands. Attempts are ongoing to liberate these two ports, he said, particularly Al-Hodaida as its liberation will constrain Houthi militias and halt the smuggling of weapons an equipment to these groups. This is what makes Al-Mokha port particularly strategic to legitimate coalition forces, not to mention its location as the sea gate to the province of Taiz, he said.
He added that its full operation will also provide a means to deliver food and medical assistance to families of Taiz.
Political analyst Abduallah Ismail also stressed the importance of completing steps to empty the occupied capital of Sana’a from Houthis.
The presence of Yemeni institutions in the interim capital of Aden is considered importance and critical, he said, noting that the decision to transfer the central bank to Aden, as well as the government previously, were also strategically important decisions.
Efforts to transfer other key institutions to Aden are also critical, he added. He said the Yemeni president has the right to transfer parliamentary sessions to other areas besides occupied Sana’a for certain reasons, especially as Aden has now emerged as the Yemeni capital. Such a move may continue for some time, and is key in that it will undermine attempts by rebels to destroy Yemen further, he said.
MPs are in support of the legitimate government, as are organizations and Arab and Islamic parliaments who are supporters of the legitimate government led by the government of President Hadi, he said. Meetings held by rebels in the Parliament in the capital of Sana’a are illegitimate and unconstitutional, due to lack of quorum and their occurrence under the supervision of insurgents.
Wins for Yemen govt. as port reclaimed, Parliament set to move to Aden
Wins for Yemen govt. as port reclaimed, Parliament set to move to Aden
Threat to Kingdom’s security is ‘red line’ that will be ‘addressed and neutralized,’ Saudi envoy says
- Abdulaziz Alwasil tells UN Security Council the situation in southern Yemen is ‘a just cause with social and historic dimensions’ that can only be resolved through dialogue
- Recent military activity in the south was unilateral, resulting in an escalation that harms the interests of Yemeni people and undermines efforts to address issues in the south, he said
NEW YORK CITY: Any attempt to threaten Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line” and will be met with decisive action, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Speaking during a meeting of the council to discuss Yemen, Abdulaziz Alwasil said the situation in the south of the country is “a just cause with social and historic dimensions” that can only be resolved through dialogue.
“We stress that any attempt to threaten our national security is a red line, and we will not hesitate to take the necessary actions and steps to address it and neutralize it,” he added.
Alwasil reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi, the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Yemeni government in their efforts to achieve security, stability, development and peace while preserving national unity.
He said military activity by Southern Transitional Council forces in Hadramout and Al-Mahra on Dec. 2, 2025, was unilateral, did not have the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council, and was not carried out in coordination with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
It had resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, undermined efforts to address the issues in the south, and ran counter to the coalition’s objectives, Alwasil added.
The Kingdom, working with its coalition partners, the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, had moved to contain the situation by dispatching a military force to coordinate arrangements with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, he said.
The aim was to ensure the return of the southern council’s forces to their previous positions outside of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and the handover of camps to legitimate government forces and local authorities in line with agreed procedures, Alwasil added.
He expressed regret over the military operations that took place in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, close to Saudi Arabia’s southern border, which he said posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, as well as the security of Yemen and regional stability. Such steps were extremely dangerous, he added, and contradicted the principles on which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen had been founded.
Alwasil welcomed a prisoner and detainee exchange agreement signed in Muscat on Dec. 23, which he described as an important humanitarian measure to alleviate suffering and build confidence.
He praised Oman for hosting and sponsoring the consultations and supporting negotiations, and commended the efforts of UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all others that has played a part.
Regarding the political efforts to resolve the crisis, Alwasil said Saudi Arabia welcomed President Al-Alimi’s call for an inclusive conference in Riyadh to bring together all stakeholders to discuss just solutions to the situation in southern Yemen.
Preparations for the conference have begun, he added, in cooperation with the Yemeni government and southern representatives, reflecting the close ties between the two countries and their shared interests in stabilizing Yemen.
He urged all southern stakeholders to participate actively and constructively in the talks, to help find comprehensive and just solutions that meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of southern Yemen.
Alwasil called on all Yemeni forces and stakeholders to cooperate and intensify their efforts to reach a lasting political settlement that would ensure security and stability.
He described the southern issue as “a just cause with social and historic dimensions,” adding that “the only way to address it is through dialogue that leads to a comprehensive political solution” based on nationally and internationally agreed terms of reference.
