-LRB- CNN -RRB- After days of turmoil, Yemen's President, Prime Minister and Cabinet have stood down, leaving the troubled Middle Eastern nation without clear leadership and potentially on the brink of armed conflict. President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi's resignation Thursday came after Houthi rebels kidnapped his chief of staff, seized control of key government buildings in the capital, Sanaa, and failed to abide by provisions of a tentative peace deal hammered out Wednesday. The chaos in Yemen is cause for concern far beyond the country's borders. For the United States and its allies, Yemen's government has been a key ally in the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based group linked to attacks such as the recent slaughter at French magazine Charlie Hebdo. For the moment, uncertainty rules. Beyond it yawns the prospect of a political vacuum and growing sectarian rift that terror groups such as AQAP could exploit. Meda Al Rowas, a senior analyst at IHS Country Risk, told CNN that unless Hadi is reinstated, the chances of the country avoiding armed conflict are slim. Our forecast is really civil war in Yemen because we have a lot of nonstate armed groups who are likely to compete over territory and have a lot of competing agendas, she said. Who is in charge right now really depends on where in Yemen you are, she said. The Houthis -- Shiite Muslims who have