Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has fired his armed forces chief of staff as Shiite militiamen delay their withdrawal from the capital they seized in September, media reports said Monday.

Under a presidential decree, General Hussein Naji Hadi Khairan replaces Ahmed Ali al-Ashouel, who moves to the Majlis al-Shura (consultative council), the lower chamber of parliament.

No reason was given for Hadi sacking Ashouel late on Sunday.

But it comes with the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state embroiled in political and military chaos and Ansarullah delaying a pullback it agreed to under a UN-brokered accord in September.