MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was succeeded by current President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi as chairman of the ruling General People's Congress, media reported Wednesday.
According to the TV channel Sky News Arabia, the party's General and Standing Committees announced the change in the leadership in a special statement.
Saleh had said previously that he was ready to resign as the party's leader voluntarily within 21 days in exchange for a cessation of airstrikes on Yemen.
Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in a conflict between government forces and the Houthi political opposition, supported by army units loyal to Saleh, who stepped down as Yemeni president following the 2011 anti-government uprising known as the Arab Spring. Since late March, a Saudi-led coalition has been conducted an aerial campaign against Houthi positions at Hadi's request.
On Sunday, Hadi's government agreed to hold talks with Houthis and supporters of Saleh. The talks will be reportedly backed by the United Nations, which believes the talks may start in late October.
The charitable organization Oxfam estimates that at least 2,500 civilians, including over 500 children, have been killed since March 2015 in clashes between troops loyal to Hadi and the Houthis.
