Yemeni President Hadi steps down

Sana'a: Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stepped down under pressure from Saudi Arabia and is now under de-facto house arrest, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud allegedly handed a written decree to Hadi on the sidelines of the talks in Riyadh, which set out provisions for the delegation of powers to the presidential council, the newspaper said on Sunday citing Saudi and Yemeni officials.

Prince Mohammed told Hadi that other Yemeni leaders had agreed that it was time for him to relinquish power, according to the officials.

Saudi officials pressured Hadi to step down and threatened to release evidence of his alleged corrupt activities, The Wall Street Journal said.

One Saudi official told the newspaper that Saudi authorities have largely confined Hadi to his home in Riyadh and restricted communications with him. These claims were nonetheless refuted by some other officials.

Earlier this month, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stepped down after seven years of war in the country and handed over his power to the newly created presidential council, which consists of eight political leaders, including the separatist South Yemeni Transitional Council governing in the south, but excluding the Houthis.

The council's formation was announced following inter-Yemeni consultations in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, where the Saudi leadership called on the council to initiate talks with the Houthis to establish peace in Yemen, which had been torn by violent conflict for years.