The United Arab Emirates announced on Saturday the complete withdrawal of its troops from Yemen following heightened tensions in the war-torn nation, where the U.A.E. had been at odds with Saudi Arabia. The U.A.E. Defence Ministry’s statement indicated that this action was in line with a previously announced decision to wrap up the remaining missions of its counterterrorism units. While specific details regarding the number of soldiers and equipment withdrawn were not disclosed, recent military cargo flights to and from Yemen by Emirati forces were observed.
In a related development, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the U.A.E., revealed plans for an independent nation in southern Yemen, presenting a constitution and urging acceptance from other factions within the country. The STC characterized this move as a declaration of independence for the southern region, although the practical implications of this declaration remained uncertain at the time.
Last month, fighters associated with the STC seized control of two provinces in southern Yemen from forces supported by Saudi Arabia and captured the Presidential Palace in Aden, the main city in the south. Consequently, members of the internationally recognized government, previously based in Aden, evacuated to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Saudi warplanes targeted camps and military positions held by the STC in Hadramout province on Friday, as part of efforts by Saudi-backed fighters to take control of these facilities, according to a separatist official.
The latest Saudi airstrike was a direct response to recent tensions, which have seen Saudi Arabia conducting attacks against STC forces and intercepting what it claimed to be a shipment of Emirati weapons intended for the separatists. Although both Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. and their allies have been part of a Saudi-led coalition combatting the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, recent rifts and hostilities among the factions and the Gulf nations have strained the coalition, jeopardizing efforts to restore the internationally recognized government and posing a threat of further destabilization in the impoverished nation.