ADEN, Yemen
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi on Sunday made his first public appearance since Jan. 21 when he was placed under house arrest in capital Sanaa by the Houthi militant group.
Aden TV and the official news agency, which is controlled by the Houthis, broadcast photos of Hadi meeting in the southern province of Aden with some of the country's governors.
A presidential source attending the meeting told The Anadolu Agency earlier that Hadi had told the governors that he would continue to carry his duties as president.
Hadi, the source added, also discussed the security and political situation in the country with the governors.
Hadi, who was under house arrest by the Shiite militant group, escaped Sanaa on Saturday to the southern city of Aden.
In a statement he signed as the "President of Yemen", Hadi held onto his legitimacy and dismissed as "null" and "illegitimate" all decisions taken by the Shiite militant group since Sept. 21 of 2014.
The Yemeni leader had resigned last month after the Houthis had seized control of Sanaa's presidential compound.
The militant group also issued what it described as a constitutional declaration, dissolving parliament and establishing a 551-member transitional council.
The declaration was rejected by most of Yemen's political forces – along with some neighboring countries – which described it as a coup against constitutional legitimacy.
Yemen has remained in the throes of turmoil since President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down in 2012 under pressure from a months-long popular uprising against his 33-year rule.
