Following the confirmation on Monday that Yemen’s ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh had been killed, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep concern” about recent developments in the country.
Through a statement released by the Ministry’s official spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid, Egypt said that the assassination represents the latest of a serious escalation in tensions, reflecting what it described as “the coup against legitimacy,” referring to ongoing efforts by local militias to overthrow President Abdel Hady Mansour. The statement also stressed how foreign intervention in the country has been “negative” for resolving the deadlocked crisis.
“The coup against legitimacy and negative foreign interventions in Yemeni affairs has resulted in an endless circuit of violence the only victims of which is the Yemeni people,” the statement read.
Egypt called on the parties to the conflict to collaborate for the sake of reaching a political solution to the crisis in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2216 and the peace initiative launched by Gulf states.
On Monday afternoon, video footage and photos showing the bloodied body of former Yemeni strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh being hoisted onto a pickup truck surrounded by cheering militiamen. Shortly after, the ex-president’s political party and other Yemeni officials confirmed his death, while the Houthi group claimed responsibility for the assassination.
