UNITED NATIONS, January 28 (Sputnik) – UN envoy Jamal Benomar has welcomed the release of Yemen's presidential chief of staff Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who had been held prisoner by Houthi rebels, and called on all political parties to resolve the country's crisis.
The United Nations said in a statement Tuesday that Benomar "expressed his great pleasure on the release today of Ahmed Awadh Bin Mubarak, Director of the Office of the President, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi" and said that the move would help reduce tensions in Yemen.
23 January 2015, 22:48 GMT
Earlier on Tuesday, a source in the Yemeni parliament told Sputnik that Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak was safe and that he had been handed over to a delegation of elders in the southern Yemeni province of Shabwa.
Bin Mubarak and two of his guards were abducted by the Houthi rebels on January 18. The capture of the Yemeni president's chief of staff led to fierce confrontations in the capital Sanaa, where Houthis took control of the presidential palace.
Yemen's president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi submitted his resignation last week. The country's cabinet also offered its resignation following clashes with Shiite Houthi rebels.
The Houthis, the main opposition force in Yemen, have been carrying out protests in the country since mid-August, demanding the resignation of the Yemeni government. Houthi militias have taken over many Yemeni cities, including parts of Sanaa. The fighters claim their actions are aimed at protecting civilians from terrorism and discrimination by the government.
Post by Jamal Benomar جمال بنعمر.
