Mohammed Ali al-Houthi

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi محمد علي الحوثي‎
President of the Revolutionary Committee of Yemen
In office 6 February 2015 – 15 August 2016*
Prime Minister	Talal Aklan (Acting)
Deputy	Naef Ahmed al-Qanis
Preceded by	Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi (President)
Succeeded by	Saleh Ali al-Sammad (Head of the Supreme Political Council)
Personal details
Born	1979 (age 36–37) Sa'dah, Yemen
Religion	Twelver Shia Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Houthis
Battles/wars	Houthi insurgency in Yemen
*Houthi's term has been disputed by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi (Arabic: محمد علي الحوثي‎‎) (born 1979^[1]) is a Yemeni political figure who is President of the Revolutionary Committee or Revolutionary Council, a body formed by Houthi militants. He was one of the military field commanders who led the group's seizure of the Yemeni capital Sana’a in September 2014,^[2] and eventually became the de facto leader of Yemen after the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni government in 2015. He is a cousin of Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, the group's leader.^[3][4]

According to the 6 February statement by a Houthi representative, the Revolutionary Committee is in charge of governing Yemen and forming a new parliament, which will then appoint a five-member presidential council.^[3][5] However, other reports indicated the committee itself would serve as the presidential council.^[4][6]

Al-Houthi has been described as a "former political prisoner".^[7]

Presidency

Mahmoud Al-Junaid was named as director of the presidential office on 9 February 2015, although he declined to confirm to the Yemen Times whether he was working for them.^[8]

The newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported on 19 February that al-Houthi had been sacked over the lack of an agreement among Yemen's political factions to support the Houthis' transitional authority, but a senior Houthi leader denied that he had been dismissed.^[9] The next day, Reuters and other news outlets reported that UN-led negotiations had produced a tentative agreement regarding the Yemeni parliament, but it did not address the political dispute over the presidency.^[10][11]

On 21 March, al-Houthi spoke at a meeting of the Revolutionary Committee, giving an address in which he said Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's term of office legally ended on 21 February 2015 and his legitimacy had expired. He criticised foreign governments for continuing to back Hadi, accusing them of "blatant interference" in Yemeni affairs.^[12]

Al-Houthi was injured by a Royal Saudi Air Force strike in Sana'a during the first night of a military intervention in Yemen led by Saudi Arabia on 25 March, according to Al Jazeera.^[13]

Houthi-controlled state media reported in November 2015 that al-Houthi sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling on the UN to restrain the Saudi-led coalition and accusing the coalition of "war crimes" and "genocides" against Yemen.^[14]

On 15 August 2016, the Supreme Revolutionary Committee handed power to the Supreme Political Council.^[15]

International reactions

The United Nations, the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council refused to recognise the legitimacy of the Houthi declaration placing al-Houthi and the Revolutionary Committee in charge of Yemen's government.^[16] The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on 15 February 2015 calling on the Houthis to relinquish control of state institutions, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning that Yemen teetered on the verge of state failure.^[17]

References

1. "Houthis Take Control of Yemen Without Seizing Power". Al Akhbar English.
2. Al-Oliby, Saif Saleh (19 February 2015). "Houthi Head of Revolutionary Committee Sacked". Yemen Observer. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
3. al-Haj, Ahmed (6 February 2015). "Yemen's Shiite rebels announce takeover of country". The Columbian. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
4. "Houthi militia installs 'presidential council' to run Yemen". Middle East Eye. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
5. Nordland, Rob (6 February 2015). "Yemen Rebels Say They Will Form New Government". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
6. "Houthis dissolve parliament, assume power in Yemen". EFE Agency. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
7. Ploquin, Jean-Christophe (30 March 2015). "Comment les Houthis ont replongé le Yémen dans la guerre civile" (in French). La Croix. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
8. Al-Samawi, Mohammad (9 February 2015). "HOUTHIS APPOINT MAHMOUD AL-JUNAID DIRECTOR OF THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE". Yemen Times. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
9. "Yemen's Houthi movement sack top military official: sources". Asharq al-Awsat. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
10. "Yemen's Houthi rebels show willingness to negotiate, cut rough deal". CNN. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
11. "Yemen parties agree on transitional council: U.N.". Reuters. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
12. Al-Kibsi, Hesham (21 March 2015). "Al-Houthi: Hadi's Retraction From Resignation A Desperate Attempt For Violence". Yemen Observer. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
13. "Saudis launch air campaign to defend Yemen government". Al Jazeera. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
14. "HRC Chairman holds UN, UNSC accountable for stopping aggression". SABA. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
15. "Saba Net - Yemen news agency".
16. "Gulf countries, opposition say Houthi takeover in Yemen a 'coup'". Reuters. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
17. Anna, Cara (15 February 2015). "UN Security Council OKs Resolution Against Yemen Rebels". ABC News. Retrieved 15 February 2015.

External links

• Media related to Mohammed Ali al-Houthi at Wikimedia Commons