Mansour Hadi vows to maintain unity in Yemen

Yemen’s President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has vowed to keep the country united and to confront all internal and externals attempts to divide the country.

Hadi disclosed this in a televised speech to mark the 30th anniversary of the unification between north and south Yemen on Friday May 22, 2020.

He stated that his country was facing serious challenges that threatened its unity, and a wave of diseases that had overwhelmed the country’s fragile health system.

“We will defeat all who try to harm our homeland, culture, history, geography and the aspirations of our people. We will not allow anyone to drag the country into chaos, violence and terrorism,” he said.

Hadi also promised that his government will comply with peace initiatives that could end the war in Yemen.

The seizure of the control of Sanaa in late 2014, by the Iranian-backed Houthis forced Hadi to call for military intervention from Arab countries.

In the south, the separatist South Transitional Council declared self-rule in Aden and other southern provinces, blocking the return of the internationally recognized government.

“We are making every effort to restore the state and end the coup and rebellion in the north and south of the country. We have dealt positively with all peace calls and all humanitarian initiatives,” Hadi stated.

He ordered his forces positioned in Abyan on May 11 to push toward Aden to drive separatists out of the strategic city and other provinces, triggering heavy fighting with separatists.

Over the past couple of days, Yemen’s army has dispatched heavy equipment and military forces to Abyan to reinforce the government’s troops battling to break the military impasse.

Residents in Abyan reported seeing a convoy of flatbed trucks carrying tanks, armored vehicles and heavy machine guns heading to Abyan’s Shouqra.

“We affirm that the Riyadh Agreement is still, to date, an available option that offers solutions for these problems,” he added.

The number of coronavirus cases in government-controlled areas has increased to 193 with 13 new cases in Aden, Hardramout, Shabwa and Taiz. Three deaths have also been reported.