DUBAI, Reuters – Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi fell prey to both foes as well as allies during his attempts to cling on to power from exile. In Saudi Arabia, he was frequently blocked from entering his war-torn homeland.

Following Yemeni talks in Riyadh that aimed to boost U.N. efforts to restart political negotiations for an end to their seven-year conflict, the deputy was also dismissed. Following the news, Saudi Arabia provided $3 billion financial support.

Hadi was first defeated by Iran-aligned Houthis in Sanaa. In late 2014, they swept him out of Yemen. Then, the southern separatists, nominal allies supported by the United Arab Emirates, took control of Aden twice, the interim home of Hadi’s government.

Riyadh retained him as the head of the government to protect the recognized government. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened on behalf of the Houthis. The UAE was not happy with his alliance to the Islamist Islah Party.

Analysts say Hadi, at 76 years old, was kept in a closed circle from the outside, and relied only on a few family members and allies of his political side to keep him informed.

The International Crisis Group stated that Hadi’s symbolic worth is more important than his popularity.

“For many Yemenis the president has been a vehicle to carry the ideals and transition period of 2011 uprising.”

Hadi was a Yemeni army officer from the south. He moved to the North in 1986 amid turmoil back home. After rising through the ranks, he was elected vice president by Ali Abdullah Saleh (who united south and north Yemeni in 1990).

Hadi assumed the presidency of a state in decline after Arab Spring protests brought down Saleh in 2011. Saleh was later murdered in 2017, while trying to switch allegiances.

Hadi was the only candidate on the ballot in 2012 elections. He would have guided Sunni Yemen, a predominantly Sunni nation, through the transition to democracy that had been facilitated by the Western and regional powers headed by Saudi Arabia.

He was able to inherit a country in turmoil, but he had to face long odds during his two-year tenure overseeing the transition.

As the economy collapsed, al Qaeda hit the army and the state. Meanwhile, secessionism flourished in the North with separatists and Shi’ite houthis.

Hadi claimed that Saleh was his boss and did nothing to aid him facing the kaleidoscope foederal politicians and militants.

Hadi claimed that “there’s an organized conspiracy” and that former stakeholders were plotting to exact revenge on Sanaa, which was after Sanaa had fallen to the Houthis.

Yemen fell prey to famine when the war broke out between the Houthis (led by Saudi-led forces) and its allies, the Houthis. Tens of thousands were killed in this conflict.

Hadi’s administration has been accused of the same crimes as his autocratic predecessor. They were brought to light by the Houthis and their nominal allies.

ESCAPE IN SANAA

Hadi spent decades serving in uniform but failed to establish a powerful base. He launched the “National Dialogue” in order to create a new constitution after assuming power. However, things quickly fell apart.

Saleh’s army, government allies and the military hampered this transition. Al Qaeda militants meanwhile created a mini state and bombed Sanaa with increasingly bloody bombings.

Hadi was forced to share the power when Sanaa was seized by the Houthis with support from Saleh’s army units. The National Dialogue presented a federal constitution. Both the Houthis, and southern separatists, rejected it because they felt that it was too weak.

Hadi was arrested by the Houthis in 2015 but fled to Aden, where he is now a resident of southern Aden. He was pursued by the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia’s coalition led by the Saudi-led alliance entered war with Iran in March 2015 to stop Iran from gaining control via its Houthis at its border, and preserve the Gulf-brokered Transition.

They drove Hadi to Riyadh where they seized control of Aden. Hadi later had to fight for power with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, (STC), in a struggle for control.

Riyadh negotiated a delicate power-sharing agreement in 2019 that led to the formation of a new cabinet, including the STC, the following year.

Hadi made a television speech Thursday that he said he had to give up his position “to allow efficient leaders a place in running the nation” as well as “build a New Yemen” after the violence.