Yemen’s Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak resigned on Saturday amid deepening political rifts with the presidential council, highlighting the growing instability within the internationally recognized government battling Houthi rebels. In his letter to council chief Rashad al-Alimi, Mubarak cited his inability to carry out essential reforms or conduct a Cabinet reshuffle.

His short tenure—since February 2024—was marked by internal clashes over authority. Just hours after his resignation, the council appointed Finance Minister Salem Saleh Bin Braik as the new prime minister. Bin Mubarak, meanwhile, was reassigned as advisor to the same ruling body he had accused of limiting his powers.

Analyst Ahmed Nagi of the International Crisis Group noted that Bin Mubarak’s exit reflects months of friction and that he had become a scapegoat for economic failure, including spiraling inflation and blackouts in government-controlled areas.

Since 2014, Yemen has been torn apart by civil war. The Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa, driving the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting to restore the government since 2015, but the conflict remains deadlocked.

The Presidential Leadership Council, formed in 2022 to unify anti-Houthi forces, is itself fractured. One bloc backs Southern Transitional Council chief Aydarous al-Zubaidi, supported by the UAE, while the other aligns with Saudi allies Alimi and Sultan al-Aradah.

Bin Mubarak’s resignation also coincides with heightened U.S. strikes on Houthi positions. The conflict has already claimed over 150,000 lives, worsening Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe.