A tribal fighter in 2012. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah Yemen has been thrown in chaos.

Yemeni President and close US ally Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigned on Thursday, a government source said.

Just before, Prime Minister Khaled Baha offered his government's resignation to Hadi, saying it did not want to be dragged into "an unconstructive political maze."

This was an apparent reference to a standoff between Hadi and Yemen's powerful Houthi movement.

Hadi cited the seizure of the capital Sanaa by Houthi fighters in September as a key reason for his resignation on Thursday, a source close to Hadi said.

A senior official of Yemen's powerful Houthi movement said on Thursday he welcomed Hadi's resignation , according to his account on Twitter.

Hadi has repeatedly been at odds with the powerful Shi'ite Muslim movement since it overran Sanaa in a surprise advance, taking over security in large parts of the city and starting to dictate terms to his administration.

The source quoted Hadi's resignation letter as saying he had bowed out in view of developments affecting "the progress of the peaceful transfer of power since September 21, 2014 ... We have found that we are no longer able to achieve the objective for which we had endured so much suffering, desertion and lack of participation from partners in the political process in shouldering the responsibility to help Yemen (reach) safety."

Journalists Gregory Johnson and Iona Craig, who have reported from Yemen, concisely explained the situation:

So, to up-date: Yemen now has no president, no vice president, no prime minister and no cabinet. — GregorydJohnsen (@gregorydjohnsen) January 22, 2015

But, it does have 2 ex-presidents, and multiple armed groups intent on taking as much power as possible. — GregorydJohnsen (@gregorydjohnsen) January 22, 2015

Yemen's new government lasted less than three months. Houthis brought this on themselves. — Iona Craigأيونا كريج (@ionacraig) January 22, 2015

Abandoning the sinking ship, Yemen's president Hadi also resigns. Yemen now has no president, no prime minister and no government. — Iona Craigأيونا كريج (@ionacraig) January 22, 2015

REGIONAL STRUGGLE

The rebels' rise has resulted in a shift in Yemen's complex tribal, religious and regional allegiances.

Suspecting Iranian complicity, the Sunni Muslim authorities in Riyadh cut most of their financial aid to Yemen after the Houthis' takeover of the capital.

On Thursday the capital Sanaa remained largely shut down, witnesses said, even though the airport and seaport in the southern city of Aden resumed work on Thursday, having closed for a day in protest at the Houthi offensive against Hadi's administration.

In central Yemen, local tribesmen said they were pushing back Houthi fighters in Marib province, which produces half of Yemen's oil and more than half of its electricity.

The local branch of al Qaeda has responded to the Houthis' ascent by attacking their forces, as well as state, military and intelligence targets.

As Zaidis, a Shi'ite Muslim sect, the Houthis oppose the hardline Sunni Islamists of al Qaeda. However, the Houthis' assaults on the militants risk raising sectarian feelings in predominantly Sunni Yemen.

Before Hadi quit, clusters of Houthi fighters were dotted around the perimeter of the presidential palace on Thursday. At Hadi's residence, sentry points normally used by presidential guards were empty, and a group of Houthis with an army vehicle were parked at a main entrance.

(Reuters reporting by William Maclean, Mohammed Mokhashaf in Aden and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Writing by Sami Aboudi and Williamd Maclean; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and David Stamp)



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