In a stark move that could widen tensions within a fragile coalition, Saudi Arabia on Thursday called on the Southern Transitional Council-an Emirati-backed separatist group-to pull its forces out of Yemen’s Hadramout and Mahra governorates.
The Saudi Statement
The warning was issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on Christmas morning, a timing that appeared designed to put public pressure on the council. The ministry said the council’s presence “has 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.” It added that 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.
The statement also noted that negotiations are ongoing and that the council’s forces should 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 state,” the ministry said.
Local Response in Hadramout
The authority of the local Hadramout governorate welcomed the Saudi announcement and praised the arrival of a joint Saudi-UAE delegation in the region. It called for the Emirati-backed separatists to withdraw back to positions outside the governorates. The governorate’s support signals a strong alignment with Saudi Arabia’s demand.
The Southern Transitional Council’s Position
The council has moved into Hadramout and Mahra and has increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, a country that existed separately from 1967 to 1990. Calls were made for demonstrations in Aden on Thursday to support political forces that want South Yemen to secede again. It was unclear whether those demonstrations would proceed following Saudi Arabia’s announcement. Aden remains the seat of power for forces aligned against the Houthis.
Impact on Saudi-UAE Relations
The confrontation also puts pressure on the relationship between neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. While the two countries maintain close ties and are members of the OPEC oil cartel, they have vied for influence and international business in recent years. The council’s moves in Yemen follow an escalation of violence in Sudan, another Red Sea nation where the kingdom and the Emirates back opposing forces in an ongoing war.
Broader Context of the Yemen Conflict
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Tehran denies arming the rebels, although Iranian-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen despite a United Nations arms embargo.
A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemen’s exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting have pushed the Arab world’s poorest nation to the brink of famine. The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.
Shipping Disruptions and International Involvement
The Houthis launched attacks on hundreds of ships in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war, greatly disrupting regional shipping. While traffic has inched up recently in the lull in attacks, many shippers continue to go around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Further chaos in Yemen could again draw in the United States. The U.S. launched an intense bombing campaign targeting the rebels earlier this year that President Donald Trump halted just before his trip to the Middle East. The Biden administration also conducted strikes against the Houthis, including using America’s B-2 bombers to target what it described as underground bunkers used by the Houthis.
Recent Houthi Developments
The Houthis announced plans for a funeral Thursday for several of its fighters, including Maj. Gen. Zakaria Abdullah Yahya Hajar, whom analysts identified as the group’s drone and missile chief. U.S. forces reportedly targeted Hajar, who allegedly received training from the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, in a strike in March in Sanaa. The Houthis provided no information on how or when he died in the funeral announcement.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly threatened Saudi Arabia and taken dozens of workers at U.N. agencies and other aid groups as prisoners, alleging without evidence that they were spies-a claim fiercely denied by the U.N. and others.
Key Takeaways
- Saudi Arabia has formally demanded the withdrawal of the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council from Hadramout and Mahra.
- The council has been moving into those governorates and flying the flag of the former South Yemen.
- The move strains Saudi-UAE relations and follows similar escalations in Sudan.
The latest development adds another layer of complexity to Yemen’s already protracted conflict, raising questions about the future stability of the coalition fighting the Houthi rebels.
