Analysis: The man who could save Yemen

Khaled Bahah's appointment as vice president is the first step towards a political solution in war-torn Yemen.

Former Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah's appointment as vice president on Sunday indicates that Saudi Arabia may have realised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is actually part of the problem, rather than the solution.

By pressuring Hadi to name a vice president at this critical time, the kingdom may be indicating its political plans for Yemen after the end of its military operation. It is also possible that Bahah will become the de facto president of Yemen, especially since he is popular among broader segments of the Yemeni population than Hadi.

Bahah was the only politician accepted by both the Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party to become Yemen's prime minister after the infamous January 2015 agreement of peace and partnership between Hadi, the Houthis, and other key Yemeni political actors.

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ANALYSIS: Boots on the ground in Yemen? Think again

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For the past three years, Hadi ruled as elected president of Yemen's transitional government without a vice president, relying on a group of weak advisers with no clear political vision to lead the country. The lack of a vice president exacerbated the ongoing political and constitutional crisis in Yemen when Hadi temporarily resigned during his short-lived house arrest imposed by the Houthis.

Later, Hadi's escape to Aden and his subsequent relocation to Saudi Arabia to help coordinate the Decisive Storm offensive, again raised the question of whether a vice president is needed. Thus, Hadi's recent decision to appoint Bahah as his vice president was not surprising.

Yemen is unlikely to become another Syria, Iraq or Somalia. In all of Yemen's past civil wars ... certain forms of political reconciliation have been achieved that are rarely successful in other countries.

Furthermore, Bahah was the only top political leader who was released by the Houthis rather than escaping their control, suggesting the Houthis were not threatened by his discharge. Bahah once served as minister of oil, and later as ambassador to Canada, under the leadership of Saleh. Bahah is from the southern province of Hadramut, and will likely protect the political union between the north and the south.

Consequently, it could be argued that Bahah's appointment represents a first step towards political compromise in Yemen by pushing aside Hadi. The move also sends a strong message to the Houthis and Saleh's loyalists that while the kingdom is extremely serious about restoring security in Yemen and ending the Houthi-Saleh military control, the Saudis still hope to achieve a robust political solution.

The question is whether Yemen can avoid becoming a failed state and experiencing a bloody civil war. The guardedly optimistic answer could be "yes".

Yemen has always possessed exceptional political and social survival skills. Despite being a poor Arab state, it has been rich in terms of its culture and traditions of conflict resolution and political mediation. This is not the first time that the Yemenis have found their country torn by conflict and responded by looking for political solutions. 

Despite the ongoing air strikes and rising number of civilian casualties, Yemen has never experienced circumstances such as massive starvation or tragic genocide. Even when the Houthis entered Sanaa in September 2014, they did not behave like most rebel groups in developing countries experiencing military conflict or civil war.

Yemen is unlikely to become another Syria, Iraq or Somalia. In all of Yemen's past civil wars, from the 1960s to the 1990s, certain forms of political reconciliation have been achieved that are rarely successful in other countries. Political and military enmity is never permanent in Yemen.

Riots break out in Benin after opposition leader dies

Rioters set buildings and cars ablaze, accusing the government of killing Andre Mba Obame, who died on Sunday.

Riots broke out in the capital of the Central African nation of Gabon, with opposition supporters rampaging through the streets setting buildings and vehicles on fire, following the death of a senior opposition leader.

Many rioters on the streets of Libreville accuse the government of murdering Andre Mba Obame, who had contested in the disputed 2009 presidential election.

Israel 'profiting' from Palestinian child labour

Palestinian children as young as 11 face hazardous working conditions on Israeli settlement farms, report finds.

Ramallah, occupied West Bank - F, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy from al-Fasayil, an impoverished village near the West Bank city of Jericho, used to work in the nearby Israeli settlement of Petzael on weekends, earning 50 shekels ($12.50) a day. He would start at 5am and work until 3pm, his wage was reduced by a Palestinian middleman who would bring him to the farming settlement.

"Work is better than school," F said. "My family needs me to work. There are six in my family. I'm the [eldest] boy, and me and my father work."

Hillary Clinton: Everyday Americans need a champion

Former US secretary of state announces 2016 White House bid to become the first female president of the country.

Correction 13/4/2015: An earlier version of this article said that former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, had declared his candidacy for the US presidency. This was incorrect. Bush has said he will "actively explore the possibility of running", but has not formally announced his candidacy.

The story also said that Clinton had made history with this candidacy as the first spouse of a former president to seek the office. To clarify, she made that history in 2008.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has declared that she is running for president in 2016, seeking to become the first female to occupy the seat that her husband Bill Clinton held for eight years, and setting up what could be the most expensive campaign in history.

Sudan votes in elections set to extend Bashir's rule

Incumbent president expected to win another term in office as opposition boycotts polls.

Khartoum, Sudan  - Sudan is voting in elections shunned by the opposition and expected to see the incumbent President Omar al-Bashir hold on to power for another five-year term.

Voting in the general and presidential elections began at 8am local time on Monday and will continue for three days.

Kenyans let off lightly after gang-rape get 15 years

Initially sentenced to cutting grass after gang-raping a teenager, three men now have to spend 15 years in prison.

A court in western Kenya has sentenced three men to 15 years in prison for the 2013 gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl, after protests and longstanding international outrage over an initial light punishment that saw the convicts cut grass at their compound.

The young victim, who uses the pseudonym Liz to protect her identity, was sexually assaulted when she returned home from her grandfather's funeral in Busia county, then dumped in an open sewer and almost left for dead with severe injuries.

Unease with Australia's Islamophobia

Recent 'Reclaim Australia' rallies and counter-rallies across country highlight social tensions and xenophobic fears

Melbourne, Australia - In Christian majority countries like Australia, Easter is usually a time of family gatherings and celebration.

However, a day before Easter Sunday, hundreds of people took to the streets in major Australian cities to protest against what they see as the rising influence of Islam.