The UAE-Saudi coalition to fight Yemen's Ansarallah is fraying as the Gulf states fight for influence in the country
News Desk - The Cradle
STC leader Aidarus al-Zubaidi announced the start of a two-year transitional period in southern Yemen, with the aim of creating a future ”State of the Arabian South.”
Zubaidi warned that any attack on STC forces or areas under its control would trigger an immediate declaration of independence without waiting for a referendum.
Several states are expected to recognize a future “State of the Arabian South,” he added.
The STC leader made the announcement after the UAE-backed group took control of large swathes of the country from the Saudi-appointed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) in Aden last month.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE previously partnered in Yemen’s civil war against the Ansarallah resistance movement, which governs most of the country's populated regions from the capital, Sanaa.
However, the oil-rich Gulf states have become rivals vying for influence.
On Friday, Saudi warplanes struck STC forces, killing seven, according to Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces.
The strikes came amid an operation by the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces to seize STC camps in the oil-rich Hadramout governorate, which borders Saudi Arabia.
Salem al-Khanbashi, the new governor of Hadramout, denied STC claims, calling them “ridiculous.”
Khanbashi, who also leads the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, said the STC is seeking to escalate the conflict rather than peacefully hand over its positions.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia demanded the withdrawal of UAE troops from Yemen within 24 hours after taking the unprecedented step of bombing a UAE ship allegedly bringing military vehicles, weapons, and ammunition for the STC to the port of Mukalla.
The vessel, named Takreem, was unloaded under the protection of STC forces despite objections from Saudi troops tasked with inspecting arriving ships.
The UAE said it had been surprised by the Saudi strike, while adding that the ships were not carrying weapons and were destined for the Emirati forces, rather than the STC.
Abu Dhabi nevertheless announced it would withdraw its troops from the country, declaring an end to what it called “counterterrorism” operations there.
In taking territory from the Saudi-appointed parallel government, STC leaders claimed they were fighting a critical war against “Islamic extremists and Al-Qaeda,” which they accuse Saudi Arabia of backing.
Amid the deepening rift between the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia’s consul in Dubai, Abdullah Al-Mutawa, said on Friday he was resigning from the post.
The fighting has led to the collapse of the Saudi-led coalition that was created to fight Ansarallah, the Iran-backed resistance movement that took control of most of Yemen in 2014.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched a bloody war to dislodge Ansarallah and impose their preferred government over Yemen. They also blockaded the country’s ports, creating a humanitarian disaster.
According to the UN, nearly 400,000 Yemenis have been killed by the NATO-backed war, and nearly 20 million need access to humanitarian assistance.
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