Aden (South24 Center)

Yemen’s newly appointed Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Badr Mohammed Mubarak Basalmah, announced his resignation from the government on Friday, July 31, just eight days after assuming the post in a limited cabinet reshuffle that was accompanied by reports of disagreements within the Presidential Leadership Council over the new appointments.

In a statement published on his Facebook page, Basalmah described his resignation as “a warning bell and a voice of national responsibility” and “a resounding wake-up call” addressed to the Presidential Leadership Council and the government.

He said the country was passing through a “critical juncture” that required placing the national interest above all other considerations, strengthening unity and working as one team to confront the current challenges.

“Unity and the prestige of the state must always remain above all narrow calculations and interests,” Basalmah said, stressing that the current phase required serious action and steadfastness in what he described as the joint battle alongside Saudi Arabia to “defeat Houthi terrorism and restore the Yemeni state and its institutions.”

Basalmah did not directly disclose the reasons that prompted his resignation, linking the move instead to the need to send a warning about the critical political and institutional situation facing the country.

On July 23, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi issued a decree introducing a limited reshuffle in the government of Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zandani. The decree stated that the changes were made upon the prime minister’s proposal and with the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council.

The reshuffle transferred Basalmah from the Ministry of Local Administration to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. Former Planning Minister Afrah Abdulaziz Al-Zouba was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, while Minister of State for Women’s Affairs Ahd Mohammed Salem Jassous was transferred to the Ministry of Local Administration.

Basalmah had taken the constitutional oath as Minister of Local Administration on February 9 as part of the government formed under Al-Zandani. However, he did not take the oath for the planning portfolio before announcing his resignation.

Informed sources told South24 Center that the latest reshuffle had not secured the consensus of all members of the Presidential Leadership Council.

According to the sources, the disagreements prevented Basalmah and Jassous from taking the constitutional oath for their new positions, amid demands within the Council to revoke their appointment decrees. The dispute ultimately prompted Basalmah to submit his resignation.

The sources added that Al-Zouba was the only one of the three officials to take the constitutional oath, while disagreements over the other appointments continued.

Basalmah’s resignation has renewed scrutiny of divisions within the Presidential Leadership Council and decision-making mechanisms inside the internationally recognized government’s institutions. The development comes as the country faces mounting political, economic and security challenges, alongside the continuing war with the Houthi militia and the stalling of several administrative and economic reform files.