Yemeni leader urges public to enlist, offers amnesty to Houthi defectors
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi urged citizens to join Saudi-backed government forces and offered immediate amnesty to Houthi fighters who defect, in his first public address since government troops lost territory on the western Red Sea coast. The speech, delivered on the 64th anniversary of a 1962 coup, reiterated the government’s aim to restore state institutions and regain control of Sana’a.
Why It Matters
The announcement comes amid intensified Houthi advances toward the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait and escalating regional military coordination, including a trilateral meeting of Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs under the Mecca Pact. Amnesty for defectors and a mobilisation call could affect the conflict’s manpower dynamics and the security of Red Sea shipping lanes mentioned in the source.
Key Facts
- Speaker: Rashad al-Alimi, chair of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council
- Main announcement: Immediate amnesty for Houthi fighters who defect to government forces, subject to constitutional and legal procedures
- Call to action: General and national mobilisation; citizens urged to join armed and security forces through official channels
- Context of speech: First speech since government forces were routed from the western Red Sea coast; delivered on the 64th anniversary of the 1962 coup
- Strategic concern: Houthis advancing toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait (critical maritime route)
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, on Friday urged Yemenis to mobilise and join the Saudi-backed armed forces and offered an immediate pardon to Houthi fighters who defect to government ranks. Al-Alimi said the pardon will apply provided the defections are processed in line with constitutional and legal procedures. His address was the first since government forces lost ground on the western Red Sea coast to Houthi advances. Al-Alimi framed the mobilisation call as a national effort to bolster armed and security forces, asking citizens to enlist “through official channels” and contribute according to their abilities. Al-Alimi reiterated the internationally recognised government’s aim to restore state institutions and reassert sovereignty over the whole country, explicitly naming Sana’a — which the Houthis seized in 2014 — as a priority for recovery. The speech was delivered on the 64th anniversary of the military coup that ousted northern Yemen’s monarchy in 1962. The announcement arrives as regional military coordination steps up: the source reports that military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan met under the trilateral Mecca Pact amid ongoing Houthi attacks. On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted ballistic missiles and drones launched by the Houthis toward Saudi territory, highlighting the broader security implications of the conflict.
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Original source: Al Jazeera