Yemen's leader calls for nationwide mobilisation and amnesty amid Houthi advances

Rashad al-Alimi, chair of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, called for a general mobilisation in a televised speech, urging citizens inside Yemen and the diaspora to enlist with government troops to re-establish state institutions and extend sovereignty over the entire territory, including the capital Sanaa now held by the Houthi militia. He announced that anyone who abandons the Houthi ranks would be allowed to return safely and would receive amnesty.

The appeal targets residents of Houthi-controlled areas and the millions displaced since the conflict began in 2014. Al-Alimi also urged families in rebel-held zones to keep their children out of combat, stressing that the state sees them as partners, not combatants. Recent weeks have seen the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels intensify missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and impose a blockade on its vessels, while a rapid offensive earlier this month gave them control of part of Yemen’s western coastline and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The mobilisation plea coincides with the 64th anniversary of the coup that ended the northern monarchy.