The Quartet Authorizes Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to Directly Supervise the Presidential Leadership Council

NYN | Reports and Analyses 

Recent developments in the Yemeni file indicate a significant shift in the power management mechanism within the areas under the Presidential Leadership Council’s jurisdiction. Political sources have revealed a direct mandate from the “International Quartet”—composed of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United States, and the United Kingdom—empowering the ambassadors of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to review and approve appointment decisions issued by the Council.

This step, reported by Belqees TV (affiliated with the Islah Party) citing political sources, is viewed as a practical implementation of what amounts to a “dual guardianship” by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It reflects the extent of influence these two countries exert over official power institutions in Aden since the establishment of the Presidential Leadership Council in April 2022, a move initiated by Saudi and Emirati decisions.

“Power Understandings and Role Sharing”

According to the channel’s sources, recent agreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have produced an unofficial system for sharing influence, divided between local proxies aligned with each party, both inside and outside the Presidential Leadership Council. Saudi Arabia reportedly controls high-level political and administrative decisions, while the UAE exercises parallel authority through the Southern Transitional Council and its forces stationed in Aden and coastal areas.

Belqees TV further reports that the Quartet has decided to strengthen the role of Prime Minister Salem Bin Brik at the expense of the Presidential Council, in an effort to reactivate the government as an executive front amid escalating disputes among Council members.

“Legalizing Al-Zubaidi’s Decisions”

The channel confirmed that the Presidential Council members, under Saudi pressure, agreed to legitimize decisions issued by Aidarous Al-Zubaidi—the head of the Southern Transitional Council and a member of the leadership—by issuing presidential decrees that legally cover them.

Under these understandings, a decree is expected to appoint Salah Al-Aqel as Deputy Minister of Information, alongside two other deputies in the Ministries of Culture and Tourism, while canceling the assignment of Mohammed Al-Abbadi as head of the Lands Authority and authorizing the Prime Minister to select a new replacement.

Observers consider these arrangements an attempt to contain the Presidential Council’s crisis and restructure authority to align with the Saudi-Emirati influence map in the south.

“Guardianship Under Diplomatic Cover”

The Quartet’s recent move, according to political analyses, signals a clear return to a style of “direct management” of the Yemeni file through the ambassadors of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, surpassing the role of the Presidential Council as an independent executive authority.

Analysts believe granting the two ambassadors the authority to review Council decisions cements a new reality where the Yemeni leadership becomes a nominal facade, while real decision-making occurs beyond the country’s borders.

This shift comes amid administrative paralysis and decision-making duality within Aden’s power institutions, reinforcing the conviction that Saudi Arabia and the UAE now hold the reins of actual administration—whether through diplomatic channels (the Quartet) or through their field proxies from local factions and forces.

While these moves are promoted as part of “institutional reform,” field and political indicators suggest that Yemen is entering a new phase of proxy governance, where its institutions are increasingly managed from abroad rather than from within.