Yemeni leader urges public to enlist, offers amnesty to Houthi defectors

Rashad al-Alimi pledges amnesty for Houthi defectors in first speech since losing ground on the western Red Coast.

x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info A protester holds a poster of Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, during a march to protest Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia in Taiz, Yemen, on March 30, 2026 [Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP] By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 26 Sep 2026 26 Sep 2026 The head of Yemen’s governing body has called on people to mobilise and join the Saudi-backed armed forces as it seeks to counter advances made by the Houthis towards the critical Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi also pledged on Friday to pardon any Houthi fighter who defects to the government forces in his first speech since the government forces were routed from the western Red Sea coast by the group.