Hadi’s return will bolster peace talks

With Yemen’s president back in Aden, rebels will have more incentive to end the conflict

President Hadi has returned from exile to the southern city Aden. AFP

With hopes for a resumption of UN-brokered talks to end the fighting in Yemen, the return of the country's internationally-recognised president to Aden has powerful symbolic value. Despite the protracted back-and-forth battle with rebel forces for the control of Taez, Abdrabu Mansur Hadi's move serves as a reminder that the long-term trajectory of this conflict remains clear.

President Hadi and his government fled Yemen in March as Iran-backed Houthi rebels and renegade army units loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh took over large parts of the country. Their advance was halted in Aden by the intervention of the Saudi-led coalition, including UAE forces, in support of loyalist troops. Since then, the rebels have steadily been pushed back towards Sanaa but have sought to hold their ground in Taez, a former Yemeni capital.

Mr Hadi had returned to Aden in September but left again last month after ISIL-connected suicide bombers attacked the hotel where he was staying. He will now base himself in the presidential palace in Aden, protected in part by UAE special forces troops, and will begin the mammoth task of seeking to return stability to the conflict-wracked country. For areas already liberated, the government will begin the process of reinstating basic services and recreating the functioning economy that ordinary Yemenis desperately need. This focus on the plight of average citizens stands in stark contrast to the disruptive and destructive agenda of the Houthis and renegade army units.

As we know all too well, there have been setbacks and tragedy in the campaign to restore the Hadi government, including the deaths of dozens of UAE soldiers. The human dimension of this was brought to mind by the birth in Ajman this week of Abdulrahman Al Hammadi. His father, Abdullah Al Hamadi, was martyred in Marib province 10 weeks ago.

All this shows the unwavering resolve to complete the task. That, combined with the return of Mr Hadi, ought to play on the minds of the rebel forces as the UN seeks to restart talks to find a settlement of Yemen’s unrest. Knowing that the alternative to a negotiated ceasefire is military defeat puts the Houthis in a much weaker bargaining position and ought to make them more amenable to striking a deal – for the good of everyone.