US-Backed Yemeni President and Entire Gov’t Resigns

US-Backed Yemeni President and Entire Gov’t Resigns By: Lori Lowenthal Marcus/January 22nd, 2015

The Iranian-backed Shia Houthi rebels captured Sana’a, the capital of Yemen in September. For the past two days the rebels surrounded President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s palace. On Thursday, Jan. 22, the president and his cabinet resigned.  Although Hadi had reportedly made concessions to the Houthis so that they would withdraw from the grounds surrounding his house, the rebels refused to leave.  State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the U.S. is assessing and seeking confirmation of the report of Hadi’s resignation.  In addition to the president and his cabinet, the entire government also submitted its resignation.  It is unclear who is in control of the Yemeni government at this moment, but the fear is that al-Qaeda, which has a strong presence in the country, will seize greater control.

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(CNN)Political unrest has plagued Yemen for years, and the entire Mideast has been in turmoil for decades, particularly since 2011's Arab Spring uprising.  But on Tuesday, the situation in Yemen apparently became much more dire, as the country's minister of information said Shiite Houthi rebels had taken over the nation's presidential palace.  Amid reports of renewed fighting in Yemen, Nadia Sakkaf told CNN that the residence of Yemen's Prime Minister was under attack. Sakkaf called the situation "the completion of a coup," adding that President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi "has no control."  Yemen, the poorest country in the region, is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, which most recently claimed responsibility for the massacre of journalists at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. It's one of the world's biggest exporters of terrorism.  AQAP is benefiting hugely from the current conflict in Yemen.  Gunfire could be heard throughout the capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday, as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reported that security there was tenuous.  On Monday night, unknown assailants fired shots at a U.S. Embassy vehicle in the city, the embassy said. It has said it's prepared to evacuate but no orders have been given.

Here are seven things you need to know about what's happening in Yemen and why it matters.

Where is Yemen?

Yemen is a country of about 26 million people on the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia and Oman, and is near important Red Sea shipping lanes.  Yemen is a young nation, having been created in 1990 when North and South Yemen united. The north and south started a civil war within a few years, with the north prevailing after thousands died.  Yemen is very poor because of declining oil resources.

Why should I care about Yemen?

Because terrorists in Yemen have reached into the United States.  Remember Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the "underwear bomber" who tried to blow up an American jetliner over Detroit in 2009? He took his marching orders from AQAP.  The Boston Marathon bombing suspects and Maj. Nidal Hasan, the American soldier who gunned down 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, apparently were inspired by an American-born cleric in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki. An American drone killed him in 2011.  Many would-be jihadis from the West are recruited into al Qaeda through a slick English-language online magazine, Inspire, that's run out of Yemen.  U.S. officials consider AQAP the most dangerous branch of al Qaeda, according to CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank.

Who's fighting whom?

It's actually a three-way battle among the government, the Houthis and AQAP.  The Houthis, a rebel group composed of Shiite Muslims, feel marginalized in the majority Sunni country.  In September, Houthis seized government buildings in Sanaa and its airport. They demanded greater political influence.  President Hadi introduced a new constitution without the Houthis' approval, and the rebels abducted Yemen's presidential chief of staff to show their disapproval. In response, the government closed roads as a security measure. That set off renewed fighting. Most of the recent fighting has been for control of the presidential complex.  On Monday, the government and the Houthis announced another ceasefire.  Hadi has battled AQAP since taking office in 2012, and the United States has invested heavily in this campaign. He reorganized Yemen's military, and for a while put AQAP on the defensive. But the conflict with the Houthis diverted resources that could be used against AQAP.  AQAP is working to keep things unstable, but it doesn't look like the group has been involved in the Sanaa fighting so far.  In October, AQAP staged a suicide bombing against a Houthi rally that killed 50 people. It also released a video showing members executing 14 Houthis. At the same time, it has stepped up attacks against police and the army.

So the Houthis and AQAP aren't working together?

No way. In fact, they're adversaries in the long-running Sunni-Shiite conflict.  Differences between the two main branches of Islam developed over the centuries. Shiite Muslims believed the Prophet Mohammed's cousin should have been the successor after his death in in A.D. 632, while Sunnis believe a successor should have been elected.  Only 10% of the world's Muslim population is Shiite.

Who are the Houthis?

They're named after the late cleric Hussein Badreddin al-Houth (or Hussein Badr Eddine al-Houthi), who was killed during a 2004 rebellion against the government in Saada, according to the U.S. State Department.  Houthis are mostly militias and tribes that follow the Zaidi sect of Islam. Al Qaeda considers them Shiites.  Some members of al Qaeda and even Western diplomats allege that Iran, one of the few Shiite Muslim nations, is bankrolling the Houthi rebellion in an effort to control Yemen's Red Sea coast on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. The Houthis deny Iran is funding them.  Hadi has said the Houthis are being trained and advised by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia.

Are there any other parties involved?

Some presidential officials are worried about actions by republican guards, former regime officials who are still loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the ex-President who was kicked out in 2012 during the Arab Spring.

What does Yemen's conflict mean for AQAP?

Chaos is good for terrorists.  The weaker the government, the easier it will be for al Qaeda to bring in people and train them for terrorism. The chaos hampers Western efforts to hunt down al Qaeda, and hampers Western efforts to even be in the country.

CNN's Raja Razek contributed to this report.

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The USS Iwo Jima and the USS Fort McHenry warships sailed into the Red Sea on Wednesday.  Both are positioned to take on foreign service employees and their families fleeing the U.S. embassy in Yemen, if deemed necessary. Iranian-backed Shi’ite Houthi rebels overtook the presidential palace after a long barrage of shelling in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, on Tuesday, according to CNN. Information Minister Nadia Sakkaf told the news network, “The President has no control [over the country.”  Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi is believed to be in his private residence, and was not in the presidential palace at the time of the attack. However, the president’s residence is reportedly under attack as well, as is the prime minister’s residence as well, according to Sakkaf.

The attack on the presidential regime apparently comes in response to a decision to introduce a new constitution without the approval of the Houthi constituency. On Saturday, Houthi rebels also abducted presidential chief of staff Ahmed bin Mubarak in Sana’a.  The southern city of Aden is still reportedly under the control of the government regime, which closed the Aden port and sealed roads leading into and out of Sana’a, according to Yemeni state television. But the government has little other control, and it may just be a matter of time before even that much is wrested away by Al Qaeda.

Meanwhile, the situation is becoming increasingly perilous for foreigners in the country – and for Americans in particular, given the ongoing “war on terror” being waged by the U.S. against Al Qaeda.  Yemen is home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – the Al Qaeda branch that partnered with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the recent Paris terror attacks. AQAP claimed direct responsibility for the massacre attack on the offices of the French ‘Charlie Hebdo’ satiric weekly magazine.

The takeover of the Yemeni presidential palace came just a day after clashes between government forces and Houthi rebel fighters left nine people dead and 67 others wounded. That clash followed an attack Monday night on a U.S. embassy vehicle in Sana’a. It is not clear who fired at the vehicle, which was clearly marked. U.S. diplomatic personnel were in the car at the time. No one was injured according to a report by Fox News Insider. So far the embassy is still open.  “[We] are deeply concerned about the turn of events in Yemen over the last few days,” a State Department official also told U.S.-basedABC News. “[We are] continuing to closely monitor developments…and adjust the embassy’s security posture response in accordance to the situation on the ground.”