ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) announced Saturday the formation of a Supreme Military Committee under the command of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, signaling a new phase of military preparedness amid stalled peace efforts with the Houthi group.
In a televised address aired by state news agency Saba, the PLC's chairman Rashad Al-Alimi said the newly formed military committee would be tasked with preparing, equipping, leading and supporting all pro-government military forces, should the Houthis continue to reject peaceful political solutions.
Al-Alimi attributed Yemen's years-long crisis to the Houthi takeover of state institutions, accusing the group of refusing dialogue. "The suffering of our people is the result of the militia's coup and its refusal to engage in negotiations," he said.
"I call on those who have gone astray to surrender their weapons, return looted property, and rejoin the state, which belongs to all Yemenis," Al-Alimi said.
The announcement follows recent tensions between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates, which escalated into clashes and heavy strikes in southern Yemen.
The Yemeni leader said in a televised statement Saturday that government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, have recaptured key state institutions and military bases from STC forces in several southern provinces, including Hadramout, Al-Mahrah and Aden.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces captured Sanaa and large swathes of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government. ■
