Houthis militias ousted on Sunday night a leader in the General People's Congress, Faiqa al-Sayyid, from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, removing the last arms of Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh from their rebel government.
The decision to take out Sayyid from her post is in retaliation for her efforts to prevent Houthis from controlling civil society institutions.
A few days ago, Sayyid refused that Houthis officially take over the “Saleh Institution for Development,” linked to the late ex-president, and change its name to the “People’s Institution for Development.”
A statement issued by the militias said, “The President of the (so-called) Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, on Sunday issued the decree No. (117) for the year 2018, appointing Obaid Salem bin Dhabe'a as Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.”
It added that Mashat also issued another decree appointing Sayyid as Minister of State.
However, sources said Sayyid rejected the Houthi decision to change her post.
She said their decision did not honor her, and that she couldn't be a minister for the Houthi militia and accept to work under their command, sources quoted Sayyid as saying on Monday.
Members of Saleh’s GPC in Sanaa did not comment on the Houthi decision to oust one of their colleagues.
However, party officials and pro-Saleh activists outside the capital condemned the Houthi decision.
A party official and former Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi tweeted on Monday that Sayyid was sacked because she insisted on implementing the law.
Last December, after Saleh was killed by Houthi rebels, Sayyid had said, “He was martyred while defending the republic.”
Separately, Mashat issued a decision on Monday to discharge from the Ministry of Civil Service all employees who do not work with the militia group or follow their orders.
