Yemeni leader Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi offered to resign amid a standoff with a powerful Shia 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-Qaeda, 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.