Yemen's government on Saturday (March 17th) named a brother of slain former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, for years an enemy of the state, to a top army post, AFP reported.
A presidential decree named Ali al-Humeiri, half-brother of Saleh, head of Yemen's army reserve.
The position is little more than ink on paper, insiders say, as the troops are effectively controlled by Yemen's Houthis on the ground.
A local government official in Aden confirmed the reserve was under the control of the Houthis, who in 2014 joined ranks with former president Saleh to drive the government out of Sanaa.
The appointment could, however, signal an overture between the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which has fought the Houthis for four years, and political factions still loyal to slain Saleh, the official said.
The Yemeni army has splintered, with factions in Sanaa maintaining loyalty to the Houthis, other brigades allied with the Arab coalition and some troops in southern Yemen standing by separatists who want to restore independence.
