Yemen President Hadi heads to US for medical treatment

Yemen’s President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi is leaving Saudi Arabia and heading to the US for medical treatment today, two sources disclosed to Reuters on Tuesday. He is set to return in a week, they added.

The ailing head of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government has been treated for a heart condition since 2011 and has visited the US for treatment on a private Saudi aircraft five times in as many years; his previous visit was in June last year. In May, it was reported that the 74-year-old’s health had deteriorated following a heart attack.

Hadi’s official website has made no mention of his latest trip but has done so on previous occasions. Yesterday it reported that Hadi had sworn in Ahmed Hamed Lamels as Governor of Aden alongside an image marking the event. This follows recent developments in southern Yemen, including the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council giving up its ambition of self-rule in favour of joining the government.

The UN-recognised administration led by Hadi has been in exile in Saudi Arabia since 2015, while much of the country’s most densely populated areas, including its capital Sanaa, have been under the control of the Houthi-led National Salvation Government (NSG). This was established in 2016, two years after the successful takeover of Sanaa, with the assistance of the military.

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