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Yemeni government resigns amid Houthi militia siege

By Amy R. Connolly
Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his government reportedly stepped down under pressure from Houthi militants Thursday. Hadi addressed the United Nations on September 26, 2012. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his government reportedly stepped down under pressure from Houthi militants Thursday. Hadi addressed the United Nations on September 26, 2012. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The Yemeni government resigned en masse Thursday, days after Shiite Houthi rebels seized the presidential palace, kidnapped a top presidential aide and demanded changes to the country's constitution.

President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, his prime minister and Cabinet resigned after meeting with the rebels to reach a deal to end the crisis. The Houthis agreed to pull back from the presidential palace where Hadi has been held since last week and other areas of the capital in return for other concessions.

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On Wednesday, Yemen's state news agency reported the Houthis and Hadi had reached a peace agreement that included amendments to the constitution that expanded their governmental representation.

But the rebels did not pull back. In his resignation letter, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah said the government did not want to be dragged into "an unconstructive political maze."

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