DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen’s Western- and Gulf-backed president sacked his prime minister on Monday, blaming him for the economic crisis in a country devastated by war, according to a statement carried by the loyalist SABA state news agency.

FILE PHOTO: Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is pictured ahead of the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia April 15, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi appointed Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed to replace Ahmed bin Dagher, who was to be investigated over the “negligence of his government”, the statement said.

Yemen is one of the poorest Arab nations and as a result of the war, three-quarters of its population, or 22 million people, require aid and 8.4 million are on the brink of starvation.

Its northern half including the capital Sanaa is largely controlled by the northern Shi’ite Houthi rebel movement, while Hadi, whom a Saudi-led Arab military coalition is trying to restore to power, contests much of the south with separatist groups.

“This (the dismissal) was a result of negligence by the government in the recent period with respect to the economy and to administrative services,” the statement said.

Saeed has been minister of public works in the cabinet, which operates from Saudi Arabia, since last year.

Bin Dagher has been at odds with the southern separatists and their main backer, the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition, which has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

Bin Dagher tweeted his congratulations to Saeed.

Most Yemenis now live in Houthi-controlled territory, while Hadi government controls the south, backed by a Saudi-led coalition of Arab troops.

The Yemeni currency, the riyal, has lost more than half its value against the dollar since the start of the war. Authorities sought to boost liquidity last year by printing money when it stood at around 250 to the dollar, but it has now plunged in value to about 700 to the dollar.

U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths said this month that the United Nations was discussing an emergency plan to stem the fall and restore economic confidence.</s>Yemen's president sacked Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher, blaming him for the economic crisis rocking the war-torn country, a statement carried by SABA state news agency said on Monday.

DUBAI: Yemen's president sacked Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher, blaming him for the economic crisis rocking the war-torn country, a statement carried by SABA state news agency said on Monday.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi appointed Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed as the new premier, it said, adding bin Dagher would face investigation over the "negligence of his government".</s>DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen’s president sacked Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher, blaming him for the economic crisis rocking the war-torn country, a statement carried by SABA state news agency said on Monday.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi appointed Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed as the new premier, it said, adding bin Dagher would face investigation over the “negligence of his government”.</s>By The Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has fired the prime minister, accusing him of “negligence” in running the country. In a decree late Monday, Hadi’s office said Ahmed bin Dagher was…

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has fired the prime minister, accusing him of “negligence” in running the country.

In a decree late Monday, Hadi’s office said Ahmed bin Dagher was guilty of poor economic performance and failure to avert a collapse of the currency.

The statement named Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed as the new prime minister. He was previously minister of public works and roads.

Yemen has been locked in a ruinous war pitting a Saudi-led coalition backing the Hadi government against Shiite rebels known as Houthis since March 2015. The government operates largely from Saudi Arabia because the Yemeni capital of Sanaa remains in rebel hands.

An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has produced what the U.N. says is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>SANAA: Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has fired the prime minister, accusing him of "negligence" in running the country.

In a decree late Monday, Hadi's office said Ahmed bin Dagher was guilty of poor economic performance and failure to avert a collapse of the currency.

The statement named Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed as the new prime minister.

He was previously minister of public works and roads.

Yemen has been locked in a ruinous war pitting a Saudi-led coalition backing the Hadi government against Shiite rebels known as Houthis since March 2015.

The government operates largely from Saudi Arabia because the Yemeni capital of Sanaa remains in rebel hands.

An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has produced what the UN says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis.</s>Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has fired his prime minister, blaming him for the economic crisis in the war-torn country, according to a statement.

Hadi's office said on Monday Ahmed bin Dagher was guilty of poor economic performance and failure to avert a collapse of the currency.

"This [the dismissal] was a result of negligence by the government in the recent period with respect to the economy and to administrative services," the statement said.

It named Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed as the new prime minister. He was previously minister of public works and roads, which along with the government, operates largely from Saudi Arabia.

Since March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition - which today only includes Saudi and the United Arab Emirates - has embarked on a bombing campaign in Yemen aimed at dislodging Houthi rebels, as well as restoring to power Hadi's exiled internationally recognised government.

The Yemeni currency, the riyal, has lost more than half its value against the dollar since the start of the war.

United Nations special envoy Martin Griffiths said this month that the UN was discussing an emergency plan to stem the fall and restore economic confidence.

Yemen is one of the poorest Arab nations and as a result of the ongoing war, about 22 million people require aid, while 8.4 million are on the brink of starvation.

The northern half of the country, including the capital Sanaa, is largely controlled by Houths, while Hadi contests much of the south with separatist groups.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and has displaced more than two million people.

According to the UN, the conflict in Yemen has produced the world's worst humanitarian crisis.</s>Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on Monday fired Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher and ordered him to be investigated in connection to the country's economic woes, the official Saba news agency reported.

His sacking was brought on because of the government's "inability to take real measures to stop the economic deterioration in the country, especially the collapse of the currency," Hadi said, in a statement published by Saba.

The riyal has lost more than two-thirds of its value against the dollar since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the government's fight against Yemen's Huthi rebels.

The economic downturn, along with a blockade on the rebel-held international airport and ports, has left Yemenis unable to afford food staples and bottled water.

Last month, demonstrations over the high coast of living and the sliding riyal hit several Yemeni cities including Aden, the temporary headquarters of the internationally recognised government.

As Dagher's replacement, Hadi appointed Moeen Abulmalik Saeed, minister of public works and roads.

Yemeni political sources told AFP that Seed has "excellent" relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- Riyadh's main partner in the military coalition fighting in Yemen.

Hadi said his decision to replace Dagher came "as a result of the negligence that accompanied the government's recent performance in economic and service fields.

The Yemeni president said he was also swayed by "the government's faltering performance in alleviating the suffering of our people, solving its problems and providing for its needs".

In addition to sacking Dagher, Hadi also called him out over his "failure" to take necessary measures to respond to a "catastrophic" tropical storm that slammed into eastern Yemen at the weekend.

Governor of eastern Mahra province Rajeh Bakrit said earlier on Monday said the area had been devastated by the storm.

"The situation is catastrophic in the province and beyond the capabilities of the local authorities," he said, according Saba.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed and more than 56,000 injured since 2015, resulting in what the UN has called the worst humanitarian crisis.
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi sacks Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, blaming him for the current economic crisis and famine in the country. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed is appointed as the new Prime Minister.