Internationally Recognized Government

Historical Background

After a presidency that lasted more than 30 years, President Ali Abdullah Saleh relinquished power as the head of the Republic of Yemen in 2011. Pressured by the Youth Uprising and an assassination attempt, Ali Abdullah Saleh ceded power for immunity through an agreement brokered by the GCC. Authority was passed to then-Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who was later elected president in a single-candidate election in February 2012. Between 2013 and 2014, Hadi led Yemen’s political transition, chairing the NDC, the outcomes of which were intended to shape Yemen’s political roadmap and contribute to the drafting of a new constitution. However, in September 2014, the alliance of forces loyal to the Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh took over Yemen’s capital Sanaa, putting Hadi under house arrest in January 2015. One month later, Hadi managed to escape and tried to resume the IRG’s functions in the port city of Aden, retracting the resignation he previously tendered while under arrest.

In March, Houthi-Saleh forces advanced south, capturing Aden and prompting Hadi’s retreat to Riyadh. At this stage, the IRG held nominal control over the Yemeni armed forces, which, however, were either disbanded or had pledged loyalty to Ali Abdullah Saleh. Hence, opposition to the Houthis emerged spontaneously, through the Southern and Popular Resistance Forces. Furthermore, a coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in Yemen on 26 March 2015, to support the IRG and reinstate Hadi. The Coalition’s intervention was retrospectively legitimated by the UN Security Council with resolution 2216, issued in April 2015.

During the conflict, the IRG faced internal tensions, divided among a weakened faction aligned with the GPC, forces loyal to the Islah party, and southern secessionist groups. In April 2016, before peace talks in Kuwait with the Houthi-Saleh camp, Hadi removed Prime Minister Khalid Bahah, appointing the Islah-leaning military commander Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar. This move solidified Islah’s control over the Yemeni army and the Marib and Taizz provinces, ultimately eclipsing its historical GPC rival. 

The rise of Islah within the IRG prompted the United Arab Emirates to train paramilitary units and support secessionist forces in southern Yemen, aiming to counter Islah’s increasing influence. Between 2018 and 2019, UAE-backed forces aligned with the STC clashed with pro-Hadi and pro-Islah units, consolidating their control over Aden, al-Dali, Lahij, and other southern areas. In December 2020, the establishment of a power-sharing cabinet succeeded in reducing tensions within the IRG camp, materializing an agreement reached in Riyadh in November 2019.

In April 2022, days after a UN-mediated truce came into effect, President Hadi, under pressure from the Saudi-led Coalition, transferred his powers and those of Vice President Ali Muhsin to an eight-member PLC, in a further attempt at unifying ranks. Nevertheless, significant tensions persist within the PLC, with the strongest faultline existing around pro-unity and southern secessionist aspirations. In August 2022, just four months after the creation of the PLC, STC-affiliated forces took control of Shabwa governorate following days of clashes with pro-unity forces aligned with the Islah party. In a further blow to unity within the anti-Houthi camp, two members of the PLC – leader of the Southern Giants Brigades Abdulrahman al-Muharrami and former Hadramawt governor Faraj al-Bahsani – have joined the secessionist STC in May 2023. In addition to its internal fragmentation, the IRG also grapples with financial reliance on the Coalition.

In late 2023, amidst ongoing bilateral talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, the PLC committed to UN-brokered measures to implement a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen.²Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, ‘Update on efforts to secure a UN roadmap to end the war in Yemen,’ 23 December 2023 On 5 January 2024, PLC chairman al-Alimi decreed the establishment of a new central intelligence agency, thus merging government services and other UAE-backed agencies.³Middle East Monitor, ‘Yemen merges government, pro-Emirati intelligence agencies into unified agency,’ 6 January 2024