Senior official of Yemen government-in-exile at work in Aden

Mohammed Ali Marem may be the only senior official of the internationally-recognized government of President Mansour Hadi who is working inside Yemen. Most officials are located in the safety of Ryadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Marem is chief of staff for the office of President Mansour Hadi. He has the job of paving the way for the return of the government in exile. Hadi was forced into exile when Houthi rebels marched south from their bases in the north to take the capital, Sanaa, after negotiations to form a government brokered by the UN broke down. Hadi resigned and was under virtual house arrest after the Houthis took control. However, he escaped to Aden, recanted his resignation, and tried to set up a government there, only to be driven into exile as ŧhe Houthis attacked Aden. Marem accompanied Hadi when he escaped to Aden. However, when Hadi escaped Aden to exile in Ryadh this March, Marem stayed behind in hiding during the Houthi siege of the city.

As can be seen in the photos at this site, much of Aden is in ruins. Marem said:“President Hadi has hoped to return to Aden since the beginning of August, ... however it is difficult to return to war-torn city, as there is not even an office for the president to work from and there is not a house for him. However, I hope that the reconstruction of the presidential palaces will be finished as soon as possible, and the president will return in the coming days".The Houthis were driven from the city in July.

The previous chief of staff, Ahmed bin Mubarak, was jailed by the Houthis in Sanaa but was released on the promise he leave Yemen. Hadi made him ambassador to the US.

Marem holds a Ph.D. in finance and banking from a Malaysian university. He was a finance lecturer at Aden University. He headed the National Dialogue Conference that was deigned to gather stakeholders to plan for a democratic future for Yemen. The Houthis left the conference after two of their delegates were assassinated. Subsequent to the conference Hadi drafted a plan that would divide Yemen into six federal areas. Not only did the Houthis reject this but so did the Southern Movement some of whom did not even attend the dialogue. Now the Southern Movement militias have helped drive the Houthis from Aden and other parts of the south. They are a separatist group who will demand autonomy and perhaps independence for southern Yemen. They often clashed with the Hadi government when he was in power.

UAE troops played a key role in the recapture of Aden it would appear. Recently they also rescued a UK hostage from Al Qaeda. Seven UAE soldiers have been killed.

Maren praised the UAE forces:“The Emirates led the battle in Aden from the first step to the last and they made Aden return to its normal conditions. The Emirates is the most effective country in the field, especially fighting shoulder to shoulder with the resistance on the battlefields.”He also claims they played a vital role in reopening the port and the airport. The UAE Red Crescent is also active in distributing aid within the city.

Marem said that eight ministers were expected in Aden soon. However, Marem claimed that the reconstruction of buildings was the only obstacle that faced the return of the cabinet to the city. Perhaps Marem is not aware that Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) has control of part of Aden and that they are expert at disruptive terror attacks. They have made many attacks against the Houthis but also carried out such attacks against the Hadi government when he was in power.