Yemen activists slam ousting of transport minister who opposed UAE intervention

Yemeni activists have slammed Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed for suspending the Yemeni Minister of Transport Saleh Al-Jubwani, who is known for his opposition to the UAE’s intervention in the country.

The Yemeni activists demanded President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi dismiss the prime minister and accused him of targeting the opposition to sabotage projects in Yemen.

The Yemeni prime minister appointed Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Salem Ahmed Al-Khanbashi to supervise the ministry’s work.

Yemen Belqees TV Channel quoted a government source as saying that five unnamed ministers intend to submit their resignations to President Hadi in protest at the prime minister’s decision.

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In late February 2018, the UAE-backed Al-Nukhba prevented a high-ranking government delegation including Al-Jubwani from passing through one of its security barriers in Habban District, in the southeast of Shabwa Governorate.

At the time, the minister called for a sovereign decision to correct the relationship with the UAE.

Last January, the minister said that the Yemeni government had confirmed reports about the UAE’s relations with Al-Qaeda and Daesh militant groups in Yemen, accusing Abu Dhabi of using them to hit the Yemeni army’s reinforcements on the road connecting the governorates of Shabwa and Abyan in southern Yemen.

On February 10 the Yemeni minister vowed to use force crush the UAE-backed insurgency in Aden.

READ: Saudi Arabia agrees to Yemen ceasefire to fight coronavirus