Yemen crisis worsens as President resigns

Yemeni leader Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi offered to resign amid a standoff with a powerful Shiite militia in control of the capital, throwing his country deeper into political turmoil.
In his letter of resignation Hadi, a key US ally in the fight against Al-Qaida, said he could no longer stay in office as the country was in “total deadlock”.
“I believe that I have not been able to achieve the goals for which I took up my duties,” he said, adding that Yemen’s political leaders had failed “to lead the country to calmer waters”.
Prime Minister Khalid Bahah also tendered his resignation, saying he did want to be part of the collapse of the country.
A senior official told AFP that Yemen’s parliament had rejected Hadi’s resignation.
“Parliament… refused to accept the president’s resignation and decided to call an extraordinary session for today morning,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The shock announcements came after the militia, known as Huthis, tightened their grip on Sanaa this week after seizing almost full control of the capital in September.
They had maintained fighters around key buildings on yesterday and continued holding a top presidential aide they kidnapped on Saturday, despite a deal to end what authorities called a coup attempt.
The potential fall of Hadi’s Western-backed government will raise serious concerns of strategically important but impoverished Yemen collapsing into complete chaos.