Have Yemenis given up on Hadi during six-year exile?
Yemeni President Hadi's six-year exile in Riyadh has eroded his legitimacy in the eyes of manyYemenis who do not expect his return home, and realize that even his return will not be a cure-all for Yemen's plight.
The year 2015 was an indelible watershed for multitudes of Yemenis. It was the year in which the Houthis toppled the UN-recognized government, forming a new one, and ushered in political tumult in Yemen. It was also the year when President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi escaped from the Houthi house arrest in Sanaa and headed to Aden. In March of that year, Hadi fled again — this time from Aden to Saudi Arabia, running away from the Houthi fighters who kept advancing toward his palace.
A recent report by The Associated Press on a secret Island being built by the Arab coalition on the Yemeni Mayun Island in the Red Sea has raised a question on whether Hadi is aware of the matter. This development has infuriated the people in Yemen, and it dealt another blow to Hadi's legitimacy in the public's view.
Notwithstanding that Hadi remains the country's legitimate president with the recognition of the United Nations and regional powers, his six-year exile in Riyadh has eroded his legitimacy in the eyes of many in the grassroots movement in Yemen.
Now over six years have gone by and Hadi remains in exile. The country has gone through war, poverty and fragmentation. On top of that, it is not known when peace can prevail and when Hadi can fly back home.
