Hadi: Government controls 85% of Yemen

 Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi announced yesterday that his internationally-recognised government controls 85 per cent of the country’s territory, while the armed Houthi group controls 15 per cent.

Houthi forces, in alliance with groups affiliated to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, overran the country’s capital Sana’a and other parts of Yemen in 2014.

In a speech during the opening of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) summit in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, Hadi said that Yemen is facing one of the most difficult humanitarian disasters including the spread of diseases, epidemics and famine amid a sharp decline in economic and social development indicators as well as a high rate of crime and terrorism.

He added that the humanitarian situation in Yemen requires collaborative work for the country’s transition from the phase of humanitarian relief to the reconstruction of all Yemeni provinces. He also urged cooperation with the government in completing its plans for economic recovery in the areas under its control, which constitute 85 per cent of the country’s total geographic area.