Yemen's new presidential council sworn in before parliament

Diplomats and UN officials attended the ceremony, set to mark a new chapter in the conflict

The head of Yemen's new presidential council Rashad al-Alimi stands during a session of the Yemeni parliament during which he and members of the presidential council took the oath in Aden. Reuters

Yemen’s newly elected presidential council was sworn in to power on Tuesday in the southern city of Aden, just weeks after a truce between the government and the Houthi rebels began.

The council is an eight-man entity composed of officials from across the country. They were sworn in at the front of the parliament building in a ceremony attended by diplomats and UN officials, as hundreds of government soldiers patrolled the city.

“This is the beginning of a new era for Yemen, the start of the real work towards ending the war, which has been the outcome of the Yemeni talks in Saudi Arabia,” a Yemeni official close to the council told The National.

“We want Yemen to have a new chapter and this is our chance.”

The council has been given the task of running the country after President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi stepped down earlier this month.

Mr Hadi’s internationally recognised government had been locked in conflict for seven years against the Iran-backed Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and most of the north despite the Saudi-led coalition’s military intervention, launched in 2015.

A truce between the warring sides began on April 2 and is so far holding, despite a number of breaches.

Mr Hadi’s former chief of staff and current Presidential Council member Abdullah Al Alimi said this week that he and other members would pursue peace in Yemen while remaining ready for war.