Southern separatists on rise in Yemen report Saudi airstrikes near positions | Yemen
A separatist group that seized two oil-rich provinces in southern Yemen this month claimed that Saudi Arabia had carried out warning airstrikes against its forces.
Videos published by media outlets affiliated with the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Friday showed airstrikes that it said were close to its positions in Wadi Nahab, Hadramaut province.
The strikes, which have not been independently confirmed, would be Saudi Arabia’s first military step since it issued a diplomatic appeal last Thursday urging separatist forces to cede the newly captured Hadramaut and al-Mahra.
Amr al-Bidh, the STC’s special representative for foreign affairs, told The Associated Press that the airstrikes came after its fighters in eastern Hadhramaut were involved in an ambush that left two people dead. Officials in Saudi Arabia have not commented so far.
Two weeks ago, the STC, the long-time voice calling for Yemen to return to pre-1990 settlement divided into north and south, moved into two major oil-rich areas in the south not yet under its control.
The capture of the major Hadramaut and al-Mahra governorates on the Oman border occurred without much sign of resistance, with Hadramaut forces retreating in the face of well-armed STC troops.
Since then, Saudi-backed and UN-recognised elements in Yemen’s divided southern government have sought to launch a political and diplomatic counter-offensive against “STC unilateralism”, arguing that there is lack of support across the south for the STC’s call to secede from the north.
European countries and Gulf states such as Kuwait and Qatar, as well as Arab League secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit, have supported the Saudi position, calling for Yemen to remain a united country, but the United States has said little so far.
Europe fears that divisions in the south will divert energy from the grueling fight to oust the Houthis, who have ruled Yemen’s north since 2015, including the former capital Sanaa.
The STC said the UN-recognized government had done little to bring the war to the Houthis and that a separated, interconnected south would be a more effective bulwark against the Iran-backed Houthis and would be better equipped to protect ports on Yemen’s southern coast. Demonstrations were held in the southwestern port city of Aden on Thursday calling for STC chief Aidarous al-Zubaidi to declare independence, and he is considering taking that step.
On Thursday, the Saudi foreign ministry issued a conciliatory but firm statement calling for the STC to withdraw and restart negotiations with the remnants of the UN-recognized government. Riyadh stated that unilateral actions harm the integrity of Yemen and emphasized that it “prioritizes preserving unity and making every effort to reach peaceful solutions to resolve the situation in both governorates.”
The statement included the following: “The Kingdom remains hopeful that the public interest will prevail by ending the escalation of tensions by the Southern Transitional Council and the immediate and orderly withdrawal of its forces from the two governorates. The Kingdom emphasizes the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni groups and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could lead to undesirable consequences and disrupt security and stability.”
In response, the UAE issued a brief statement praising Saudi Arabia’s role in “serving the interests of the Yemeni people and fulfilling their legitimate aspirations for stability and prosperity.”
He did not endorse the STC’s call for withdrawal, but there were private discussions on the political preconditions for withdrawal.
Most observers do not believe the STC can survive without the military and political support of the UAE. If the UAE does not publicly or privately withdraw its assurances of supporting the STC, the UAE and Saudi Arabia will face a major conflict.
