Speech by the President of the PLC on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr

  Aden

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Dear citizens, brothers and sisters, at home and abroad, heroes stationed in various fields, Eid Mubarak. We ask God Almighty to accept good deeds from us and from you, and to restore it for us and the aspirations of our people to restore state institutions, peace, stability, and development have been fulfilled and peace  prevails in our beloved homeland and all other countries.

Dear fellow citizens,

Allow me to speak to you on this religious occasion that coincides with the two-year anniversary of the formation of the Presidential Leadership Council, which came to our nation in two different forms:

The first is an image of challenge mixed with connotations of victory on the anniversary of Aden liberation, hope for change and the spirit of constructive consensus in the liberated areas.

The second is the image of suffering, oppression, and suffering mixed with the will for salvation in areas controlled by the Iranian-Houthi militias. In both cases, the mission of the honorable Yemenis is to transform hope into united, continuous action to achieve victory, God willing.

O our great people,

We are truly amazed at the ability of our people, men and women, in every opportunity, to challenge circumstances and transform the simplest life practices into a tool for resistance and steadfastness.

In the time of this war, which was ignited by the terrorist Houthi militias with the support of the Iranian regime, the suffering and displacement it imposed, and the acts of violence and slogans of death it perpetuated; Joy and celebration become a rare thing that deserves to be treated as a victory.

Similar to this popular spirit, we in turn, found the need to turn this good occasion into a station for self-evaluation, and to seize it as a platform for openness with our great people. Therefore, my speech today will not be traditional, but rather a condensed statement of the outcome of what the Presidential Leadership Council has done over the course of two years and what we intend  to accomplish in the upcoming coming period.

Oh great Yemeni people,

On April 7, 2022, the Presidential Leadership Council was formed as a promising fruit of the comprehensive national consensus, which was evident in the Yemeni consultations in Riyadh. Since then, we decided, in accordance with the Declaration of the Transfer of Power, that the concept of our nascent national alliance be associated with three main values: “consensus and partnership, peacemaking, and rebuilding institutions and improving their resources.” I will explain in succession how we have transformed these three values into an ongoing program of work.

The Presidential Leadership Council’s rational and conscious handling of various political and security developments was a direct and tangible result of the spirit of partnership that has prevailed in the Republican National Camp since 2022.

The goal of forming the Presidential Leadership Council was not only to eliminate internal disparities all at once, but rather to begin establishing an effective and peaceful mechanism that allows for managing disparities, resolving differences, and building consensus in accordance with the common denominators of the people of one nation stipulated in the Declaration of the Transfer of Power.

The concept of national partnership has remained a major pillar in the structure and policies of the presidential and governmental institution. This concept has taken a gradual development, starting with partnership in power, then partnership in decision-making and policy-making, and before that our partnership in a common destiny.

State institutions have become more cohesive and effective despite their collective and pluralistic composition, managing their internal crises and challenges with great wisdom, without resorting to violence.

These institutions have become able to make many difficult and vital decisions that had previously turned into bloody clashes.

The partnership did not stop at this level of authority, but was applied politically into a set of understandings and strategic documents produced by the Presidential Leadership Council, the bodies and teams supporting it, to represent a theoretical and political reference for managing challenges in the short and medium term.

As for the partnership in destiny, it appeared in its highest manifestation through the priority of working on the military file, including the formation of a Joint Operations Authority based in Aden. Which reflected the commitment of all components to the principle of unified cohesiveness, and the strengthening of the bonds of the National Front against the Iranian expansionist project in Yemen and the region. Since then, the theater of various military operations has been dealt with as a single front, from Ma’rib to Shabwa to Lahj, Al-Dhalea, Taiz, Al-Hodeidah, Al-Jawf, Saada, Hajjah, and the rest of the liberated areas under the command of the Ministry of Defense and the Chief of Staff. This is one of the indicators that our national alliance today has become stronger and next year, with God’s help, it will be stronger and more resilient.

The Leadership Council was not satisfied with working on the integration of the armed and security forces, which included a project to integrate the Intelligence Services into the Central Service for State Security and establishing a Counter-Terrorism Service, but was also keen to improve the efficiency of the forces through training and rehabilitating programmes, reactivating the role of academies and leadership training institutes, and engaging in Comprehensive reforms programme. That is why we are gathering today from all the components and movements in this great city and the rest of the liberated governorates. We are gathering as a single entity representing all segments of Yemeni society to achieve the goals we agreed upon, and not as infallible rulers.

Dear sisters and brothers,

Over the past two years, the Presidential Leadership Council has been committed to the principles of the Declaration of Transfer of Power and its pledges declared in the oath of office regarding the option of peace as an interest for the Yemeni people. The nation who never chose this devastating war, but for them it was a war of necessity to defend the republican system, the identity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen.

Accordingly, from the first day, we welcomed the announcement of the truce, and we expressed a continuous response to extend it and expand its humanitarian benefits in preparation for a comprehensive peace process. However, the Houthi militias met these efforts with terrorist attacks on oil export ports, continued their military buildup, attacked our joint forces on various fronts, and also doubled its restrictions and grave violations against our citizens, women, children, activists, and their social, economic, commercial, and banking forces.

However, the legitimate leadership remained committed to the utmost restraint, and we chose not to engage again in the cycle of comprehensive war from which the militias feed. Thus, we welcomed the mediation of the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, which led to a draft road map for peace.

The proposed road map included a series of confidence-building measures that must lead to a comprehensive solution based on national, regional and international references, and establish a transitional phase towards building the desired peace and democratic state institutions that monopolize power and respect rights and freedoms.

In dealing with these efforts, we were keen to alleviate the suffering of citizens in areas under forceful control of the militias through urgent measures to pay salaries, open roads, and release detainees, kidnapped people, and those forcibly disappeared, in accordance with the all-for-all rule, and these are the initiatives that we are still adopting to this moment. 

But after we were about to sign the road map, the militias decided to escape from their commitments to peace and launched a reckless escalation in the Red Sea under the pretext of supporting Gaza.

Only a few days were enough to reveal the falsity of this claim, because the militias that blow up homes on the heads of their residents, besiege cities, and profit from the remittances of their citizens are the equivalent of the brutality of the Israeli occupation, and they can never be a supporter of just causes.

Despite the Houthi militias' opportunistic and misleading behavior regarding their maritime terrorist attacks, the forces of national legitimacy still affirm their adherence to the policy of supporting peace based on three principles:

Firstly, openness to all mediation efforts, first and foremost the efforts of the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the UN Special Envoy to achieve just peace in accordance with the agreed upon terms of reference, first and foremost Resolution 2216. Secondly, emphasizing the comprehensiveness of any peace process, and protecting it with adequate guarantees and deterrent measures, and thirdly, non-compromising on the legal and political status of the State, the member in the United Nations.

Oh great Yemeni people,

We have learned in the Presidential Leadership Council from our previous experiences, and we have concluded that partnership without efficiency may turn into blind quotas. Therefore, it may seem that there is a slowdown in making the necessary changes within state institutions, especially service ones, but work is proceeding with deliberate stability at all levels.

Therefore, we worked from the first moment to strengthen the presence of executive work from the country, and to raise the efficiency of the interim capital, Aden, as the legal, political and economic center of the Republic of Yemen.

In this context, we have set in mind the priority of establishing justice and enhancing security as the basis of governance and the source of power through activating the judiciary system and raising the efficiency of the security institution.

The Presidential Leadership Council, with the fraternal support of our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has developed an ambitious program to build institutional capabilities, in addition to implementing a promising program for financial and monetary reform that has led to a tangible improvement in the performance of the Central Bank and public finances. In addition, the PLC developed comprehensive measures to correct, evaluate and review the conditions of the diplomatic corps which is consistent with presidential and governmental directions to rationalize spending.

In parallel with working on the issues of the present and future challenges, we also tried to address some of the effects of the past related to grievances in the southern governorates, and to reconsider the issue of employees dismissed from their jobs after the summer war of 1994, in accordance with the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue.

In addition to our keenness to strengthen the internal front, we worked in the Presidential Leadership Council to consolidate our strategic partnership with allied countries, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

During the past two years, this partnership has taken on a promising economic and developmental aspect, leading to the implementation of more than 2,600 projects, while work is underway to resume about 800 projects in the interim capital, Aden, and various liberated governorates, with governmental, foreign, societal, and joint funding.

Last year, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Hospital was opened in Aden, which began providing free services to about 500,000 people annually, representing a milestone within the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) with an amount of $400 million.

Projects directed at the energy sector are at the forefront of interest, including the trend towards establishing gas stations plant to generate electricity and medium and low voltage networks.

The United Arab Emirates has also concluded the completion of a solar electricity generation system with a capacity of 120 megawatts, in addition to its role in supporting the agricultural sector by implementing the Hassan Dam project in Abyan Governorate in two phases at a total cost of $140 million. Studies are also being completed to implement some dams and water barriers in Lahj, Taiz, Al Dhalea, and a number of governorates, with support by the Abu Dhabi Fund.

Saudi development interventions in the energy sector included electricity plants in Hadramaut Governorate with a capacity of 70 megawatts, and Taiz with a capacity of 30 megawatts, and strategic road projects were implemented after years of suspension.

During the next phase, the state leadership, in cooperation with our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the donor community, will work to complete a number of other vital projects in all liberated governorates, especially in the sectors of energy and water, health and education, air and sea transport, public works and roads, and youth sports, media, culture and tourism.

Dear great people,

The economic file has represented a constant challenge to the state and all its presidential and governmental institutions. Which we worked to manage and adapt to its variables during the recovery and crisis phases that followed the terrorist attacks by the Houthi militias on oil installations.

The coup militias bet on their terrorist attacks to completely destroy the government's capabilities, and thus confront the street with repression and tyranny, just as is the situation in the areas under their force.

But the state's response was different from the militia's response, and friends, before opponents, were astonished at our ability to withstand until today, and the credit for this is due to the awareness and patience of our people, and the solidarity of the components of legitimacy on the one hand, and to the support of our brothers and friends on the other hand.

Government capabilities have begun to develop in responding to economic changes and taking many protective measures, leading to the decision of the Central Bank of Yemen to transfer all banking centers to the interim capital, Aden, and to take firm measures against counterfeiting of the national currency by terrorist militias, and to protect the banking sector and its deposits from abuse and plunder. 

Dear fellow citizens,

Yemeni diplomacy has witnessed an active movement over the past two years. We have led this movement alongside my brothers in the Presidential Leadership Council and the government.

The main goal of this effort was to mobilize international support for our country, our people, and their just cause.

During the past two years, we faced a major problem after humanitarian support shifted towards other international crises, but through this movement we were able to make the challenge a greater opportunity, so that it was agreed to find a joint national and international strategy to shift from relief work to the development stage, which also complements our vision for institutional reform and economic recovery.

We also worked with the participation of various awareness platforms to correct the popular political narrative about the Yemeni issue, which lacked accuracy and depth. This step contributed to strengthening the isolation of the militias and consolidating the international community’s conviction that they represent a sustainable threat to international peace and security.

Finally, we worked hard to maintain the unity of the global position towards our national issue, and to keep the Yemeni file away from international and regional polarization.

O fellow, citizens,

I conclude my speech to you with essential messages of pride and appreciation:

First message:

To our Yemeni people everywhere:

You have been the true hero in facing challenges and sustaining steadfastness. You will remain the secret of our great victory, with God’s help.

Second message:

To our fellow citizens in areas forcefully under militia control:

Be sure that this injustice and oppression will never last long, because the time of slavery and superstition has passed forever. Only your inspiration from the struggle of your fathers and grandfathers will make history and will flourish in endless glory.

Third Message:

To our Yemeni women:

We will never forget your suffering and your active role at the heart of the national battle as mothers, sisters, wives, and inspiring fighters who strengthen determination in various fields.

Fourth Message:

To our Yemeni youth:

We bet on your level of awareness, which is armed with the values of modern republic that you dream of, to push forward the project of a bright future for your country and prevent any regression. 

Fifth Message:

To the men of media, intellect and culture:

Free speech, intellect, culture, and resistance literature are the parallel front to the military battle. Peoples were not victorious and nations were not liberated except by words and rifles together.

You have confronted the militias' lies with facts, thus today the world is punishing them as a global terrorist organization.

Sixth Message:

To the political components and forces:

We are proud of your responsible commitment to unified cohesiveness as the most important component of steadfastness in our national battle, and unified compass of struggle and goals towards our common enemy.

Seventh Message:

To the armed forces, security, popular resistance, and military formations in various sites of heroism and redemption:

You are the safety valve, the makers of heroism, the sources of pride and dignity, and our watchful eyes, through whose hands and through whom the greatest Eid for our people, represented by the restoration of state institutions and the overthrow of the coup, will be achieved.

We are also proud and grateful to the men of security and justice who were the subject of the first phase of the Council’s work.

Eighth Message: 

To our brothers in the Coalition to Support Legitimacy:

We will never forget your precious sacrifices for the interests and pride of our people. We are fully aware that we would not have been able to stand alone and liberate the largest part of our national territory had it not been for your standing and sincere support. With your certainty that the stability of Yemen is the stability of the entire region.

Ninth Message: 

To the martyrs and wounded:

We pledge to you that we will never neglect your sacrifices and we will not give up on the values for which you gave your pure blood. We also pledge to your families that they will remain in the pupils of our eyes. We will give them the care and honor they deserve, starting with establishing an authority to take care of the wounded and the families of the martyrs.

Tenth Message: 

To the detainees, abductees, and those hidden by force in militia prisons:

Tonight, I announce the awarding of the September 26 Medal, First Class, to the struggler Mohammed Qahtan, who has been missing in the prisons of the terrorist militia for nine years.

I also announce the awarding of the same Medals to the free strugglers, Major General Mahmoud Al-Subaihi, Major General Nasser Mansour Hadi, and Major General Faisal Rajab, and their promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General.

A special message to our people in the occupied Palestinian territories:

Yemen and its people are along with you and by your side in weal and woe. We draw inspiration from you, the meaning of steadfastness, which you prove every time to be stronger than the brutal machines of war. “So do not become weak, nor be sad, and you will be superior”, God willing.

In conclusion, I am pleased to extend my thanks to my fellow members of the Presidential Leadership Council and the government who are doing a great job to protect this broad national alliance and keep its momentum and voice heard to the entire world.

Glory to Republic

Defeat to racism and tyranny

Immortality to the martyrs

Healing to the wounded

Happy Eid Fitr

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah