Yemen President Hadi Reshuffles Government After Sanaa Fuel Protests
Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has reshuffled top ministers in his government after days of power cuts saw hundreds of protesters take to the streets and call for the government to fall in the capital Sanaa.
Anger erupted in front of Hadi's house where protesters gathered to call for the overthrow of the government.
"Leave us, leave us, down with the corrupt leader!" Yemenis chanted, according to Reuters.
"This failure by the government has turned our lives into hell: no electricity, no gasoline or water. They have to leave us right away," a protester told the news agency.
State news agency Saba reported changes at the ministry of finance, oil, electricity and foreign affairs, as Hadi tries to appease Yemeni citizens enraged by power outages in the capital.
Neighbouring Saudi Arabia, a United States ally, is concerned about long-term stability in Yemen, where 54% of the population lives below the poverty line and unemployment stands at 40%.
Yemen has been plagued by political and social turmoil since the former long-standing leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to resign in 2011 after massive street protests.
Regular attacks on oil pipelines have been blamed for months of blackouts in the capital.
Hadi named Mohammed Zamam as finance minister and Jamal Abdullah al-Sallal as foreign minister, while Ahmed Abdul Qader Shayyeh was installed as oil minister.
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