"It is time to say goodbye to Hadi," said a resident of Sana'a, Yemen's capital, after Houthi rebels took control of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi's residence on January 20th, in effect putting him under house arrest. In fact most Yemenis, who have been mere observers of the armed battle between rival groups for control of the capital, already bade farewell to him months ago. The Houthis, who are mostly Shia, emerged from their northern redoubt in 2011. By September they had advanced into Sana'a by exploiting the country's power vacuum, engaging in populist politics and launching well-timed attacks. As The Economist went to press, Mr Hadi was still the president, but only just. He was at the mercy of one man: Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, the commander of the rebel movement. In an agreement reached on January 21st the Houthis pledged to withdraw from the presidential palace and other key sites. Their reward is that they have been granted many of their demands, including more clout to appoint officials. In effect, many reckon Mr Hadi, an American ally in the fight against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), is now little more than a puppet president.
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