In a move seen as an attempt to de-escalate a crises with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday (30th December) announced that it was heeding a call to withdraw its troops from Southern Yemen.
UAE says that its presence included counter-terrorism teams that were crucial in fighting against Islamist groups. UAE sources said that parts of Yemen not controlled by the Houthis have had Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) operatives using the territory to launch attacks on Europe, the US and Middle East. UAE teams have co-ordinated with American and British special forces and intelligence. The sources added that Emirati forces and their Yemeni allies also helped reverse Houthi gains in the south. including the liberation of Aden port.
The small UAE contingent has remained in place since the UAE withdrew most of its military personnel in 2019.
But after Saudi Arabia backed a call for Emirati forces to leave the country within 24 hours, following a Saudi-led coalition air strike on the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, the UAE said its forces were withdrawing.
“In light of recent developments and their potential implications for the safety and effectiveness of counterterrorism missions, the Ministry of Defence announces the termination of the remaining counterterrorism personnel in Yemen of its own volition, in a manner that ensures the safety of its personnel,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The leading English-language newspaper in Abu Dhabi, The National, said that the main UAE force was based at Riyan Mukalla International Airport, with access to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, but also operated smaller contingents in the port town Balhaf and Shabwa.
"It is understood it also flew a number of drones from the airbase that were able to track terrorist movements, pass information back to its allies and assisted special forces' missions."
Meanwhile a division has emerged in Yemen's presidential council after four members denounced what they called the 'unilateral decisions' by the chairman. Four of Yemen’s eight Presidential Leadership Council members on Tuesday denounced an announcement by the council’s chairman accusing him of breaching the governing agreement.
Tension between Yemeni leaders has been rising for weeks, underscoring the fragility of the country's already fractured political landscape and further complicating efforts to confront the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The latest rift took an unprecedented turn on Tuesday morning, marked by a Saudi-led coalition “limited operation” striking combat vehicles Riyadh linked to the Southern Transitional Council, which has three members in the PLC. The PLC Chairman, Rashad al Alimi, on Tuesday said that he was seeking to cancel the joint defence agreement with the UAE.
“What has been issued … constitutes a clear violation of the Declaration of the Transfer of Power [agreement], which explicitly stipulates that the Presidential Leadership Council is a collective body whose decisions are taken by consensus, or by majority when consensus is not possible,” the statement by the four members said.
“It does not, under any circumstances, allow for unilateral decision-making on sovereign, military, or major political matters." The statement was signed by STC chief Aidarous Al Zubaidi, Faraj Al Bahsani, Tariq Saleh and Abu Zaraa al Muharrami.
According to the government-aligned Saba news agency, Mr Al Alimi also urged the National Shield Forces, part of the pro-government coalition, to take over military camps in Hadhramaut and Mahra and declared a 72-hour air, sea and land blockade, despite lacking effective control over entry points without the STC.
The STC, which seeks the restoration of an independent South Yemen, recently took control of Hadhramaut and Mahra from other pro-government forces, effectively consolidating its grip over all southern governorates. The STC said the developments followed what it described as the failure of other pro-government factions to launch a serious campaign against the Houthis in their northern strongholds, including the capital Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia, which hosts senior Yemeni government and PLC figures, condemned the STC’s takeover, saying it was carried out without co-ordination with the coalition.
Saudi Arabia has led the anti-Houthi coalition since 2015, with the UAE playing a key role in halting the advance of the Iran-backed rebels, expelling them from the south, and combatting extremist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS.
In a statement carried by Saudi state media, coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki Al Malki said two vessels arriving from the port of Fujairah on Saturday and Sunday entered Mukalla port “without obtaining official clearance from the Coalition Joint Forces Command”.
He claimed that the crews disabled their tracking systems and “offloaded weapons and combat vehicles” intended to support STC forces, before announcing that the shipment had been attacked at the civilian port. Footage showed damaged military vehicles and fire billowing from the attack site.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday that “the shipment concerned did not include any weapons and that the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party, but were shipped for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen”.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later reaffirmed the kingdom’s commitment to the “security, stability and sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen”.
However, it said the STC’s actions posed “a threat to the kingdom’s national security, as well as the security and stability of Yemen and the region”, stressing that any threat to Saudi security was “a red line” that would be met with “all necessary measures”.
The UAE formally ended its direct military role in Yemen in 2019, shifting from what it described as a “military strategy” to a “peace strategy”.
source:commonspace.eu with The National (Abu Dhabi) and agencies
picture: STC forces on patrol in Aden (picture courtesy of The National, Abu Dhabi).
