Richard Oppenheim Sacked; Who Is The New British Ambassador To Yemen?
ISWNews Analysis Group – The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has appointed Abda Sharif, a diplomat of Pakistani origin, as the new British ambassador to Yemen to replace Richard Oppenheim in the Arab country.
On Tuesday night (June 6), the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office announced the firing of Richard Oppenheim and the appointment of Abda Sharif as the new British ambassador to Yemen.
The new ambassador will officially initiate his duties in September and Oppenheim will return to London to take another responsibility.
Abda Sharif is originally from Pakistan and is a Shia Muslim. She previously served as head of the Iraq and Arabian Peninsula Department in the Middle East and North Africa Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
On her Twitter page, he expressed her happiness because of being appointed as the British ambassador to Yemen, saying: “Delighted to be the next UK Ambassador to #Yemen. Look forward to returning to the Middle East, and to working with the excellent @UKinYemen.”
The change of British ambassador to Yemen indicates London’s efforts to play a new role in Yemen’s developments. In 2014, Britain closed its embassy in Sana’a and transferred its staff to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
However, with the formation of the resigned government of Yemen, the UK moved their embassy to Aden and pursued their policies in Yemen.
Following the consolidation of Ansar Allah movement’s power in Yemen, various European countries have changed their approach and are also seeking to establish relations with Ansar Allah movement.
The developments did not match Richard Oppenheim’s stances and methods of work, who was implementing Britain’s separatist and colonial policies in Yemen, and following the UK’s change of approach, it was expected that the envoy would be removed from the embassy as soon as possible.
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