Yemen’s PLC Names New PM Amid Intensifying Southern Power Struggle and Shifting Coalition Dynamics
Yemen’s ruling Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) named Foreign Minister Shaea Muhssin Al-Zindani as prime minister on Thursday, following the council’s acceptance of the resignation submitted by Prime Minister Salem Saleh Bin Braik.
The PLC met in Riyadh and tasked al-Zindani with forming a new government in accordance with the country’s constitutional framework, Yemeni state media reported. Bin Buraik was also appointed as an adviser to PLC chairman Rashad al-Alimi for financial and economic affairs.
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The change comes as the internationally recognized government and its backers seek to consolidate authority amid renewed turbulence in southern Yemen. The PLC earlier replaced two members linked to the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC), appointing former defense minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi and Hadramut governor Salem al-Khanbashi. The moves have been interpreted by some as part of a broader Saudi-backed effort to tighten control over the presidential body as rival Gulf interests and local factions jostle for influence.
Tensions appear to have surged after STC-aligned forces seized areas in Hadramut and Al-Mahrah in December 2025 in events that were followed by Saudi airstrikes and subsequent STC setbacks. The leadership reshuffle unfolds against the backdrop of Yemen’s long-running war, which began when the Iran-aligned Houthis took Sanaa in 2014 and drew in a Saudi-led coalition the following year, deepening what remains a severe humanitarian and economic crisis.
