Yemeni prime minister resigns

Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammed Basindwa has resigned from office, as Shiite Houthi rebels seized control of the government headquarters in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, officials said on Sunday.

"I have decided to tender my resignation from the government (of national reconciliation) out of my concern to pave the way for any agreement reached between the brother leaders of Ansarullah (the Houthis) and brother Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the president of the republic," Basidnwa wrote in a letter obtained by Reuters news agency.

The resignation was also confirmed by top Yemeni diplomat and spokeman for the Yemeni embassy in Washington DC, Mohammed Albasha.

"The brother Mohammed Salim Basindwa has tendered his resignation from the presidency of the Yemeni national consensus government," Albasha tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Shiite Houthi rebel group, which has been battling Sunni fighters in Sanaa for days, has taken control of the government headquarters, in addition to the state radio station.

Clashes between the rebel group and Yemeni security forces have left at least 140 dead over the past several days.

It is unclear if Basidnwa's resignation may confuse plans to reach an agreement to end the bloodshed in the capital city. UN special envoy Jamal Benomar said late on Saturday that a deal, seeking to end the fighting and lay the groundwork for the formation of a new government, would be signed soon.

bw/ksb (Reuters, AFP, AP)