Yemen's UN recognised president has sacked ministers and military officers in a broad shakeup after Houthi forces scored gains and southern partners demanded a larger say.

A government counteroffensive launched on 5 October to roll back Houthi control has stalled, with thousands reported dead on both sides. Saudi air power, itself busy fending off near daily Houthi attacks on airports and bases, has not produced lasting progress on the ground. Recent reporting placed Houthi units roughly sixty kilometres from Aden, the temporary capital.

The dismissals look like both a response to military failure and a gesture to southern Yemenis. The country was divided between 1967 and 1990, and a strong current around the banned Southern Transitional Council wants either separation or a looser federation. Government forces now lean on southern fighters who say they will defend former South Yemen but will not march indefinitely into the north.

Critics call the administration a hotel government because senior figures often work from Riyadh rather than from inside Yemen, and because salaries depend on Saudi funds. Fresh claims that Saudi pressure forced STC leaders to dissolve the group have emboldened southern voices who expect more leverage if the north is lost.

Whether new faces in the cabinet can halt the retreat is unclear. What is clear is that the recognised government is reshuffling under fire, short of territory, and increasingly beholden to southern forces whose war aims stop at the old border.