Hadi has been in exile in Saudi Arabia since 2015. Before fleeing to the kingdom, he and his government had resigned as the impoverished country was in the grip of political turmoil.
Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement took state matters into their own hands after the mass resignation and Hadi’s escape threw the country into a state of uncertainty.
He has invariably proven a staunch Saudi ally, prompting criticism that his closeness to Riyadh made the country vulnerable to interference in its internal affairs.