Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh
Riyadh, Dec 26: Saudi Arabia on Thursday urged Emirati-backed separatists in southern Yemen to withdraw from two governorates they have recently taken control of, warning that the move could destabilise the fragile coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the actions of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) had resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, the southern cause and the coalition’s efforts. The kingdom stressed the need for cooperation among all Yemeni factions and called for restraint to avoid measures that could undermine security and stability.
The STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, moved earlier this month into Hadramout and Mahra governorates. Saudi Arabia said mediation efforts are underway to have the separatist forces return to their previous positions outside the two governorates and hand over the camps in those areas to Yemen’s National Shield Forces, which are aligned with the internationally recognised government.
Authorities in Hadramout welcomed the Saudi statement and called for the separatists to withdraw. Supporters of the STC have increasingly displayed the flag of former South Yemen, which existed as a separate country from 1967 to 1990, and demonstrations were held in the southern port city of Aden backing renewed calls for secession.
The developments have added strain to relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, close allies that have competed for influence in Yemen and elsewhere in the region in recent years.
Meanwhile, the Houthis held funerals in Sanaa for four fighters, including their top missile and drone commander, believed to have been killed in US airstrikes earlier this year. Among the dead was Maj Gen Zakaria Abdullah Yahya Hajar, identified by analysts as the group’s missile and drone chief.
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in 2015, and years of fighting have killed more than 150,000 people and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
The Houthis have also carried out repeated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade and raising fears that further instability in Yemen could once again draw in the United States.