Saudi Arabia yesterday formally called on United Arab Emirites (UAE)-backed separatists in Yemen to withdraw from two governorates that their forces control in the country, a move that threatens sparking a confrontation within a fragile coalition battling the Houthi rebels.
The statement from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeared aimed at putting public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council, a force long backed by the UAE.
Saudi Arabia has backed other fighters within Yemen, including the National Shield Forces, in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis that the kingdom launched in 2015.
Photo: EPA
The separatists’ actions have “resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of all segments of Yemeni people, as well as the southern cause and the coalition’s efforts,” the ministry said in the statement.
“The kingdom stresses the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni factions and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could destabilize security and stability, which may result in undesirable consequences,” it said.
The council has moved into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra.
The statement said that meditation efforts were aimed at having the council’s forces return to “their previous positions outside of the two governorates and hand over the camps in those areas” to the National Shield Forces.
“These efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous statement,” the ministry said.
Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967 to 1990.
There were calls for demonstrations yesterday in Aden to support political forces wanting South Yemen to again secede from Yemen, but it was not immediately clear if they would go ahead given Saudi Arabia’s announcement.
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