A US newspaper has monitored the financing of the United Arab Emirates and its ally Saudi Arabia of criminal militias in Yemen as part of their war on the country, which has been going on for more than four years and has left thousands dead.
In an article in the Washington Post, Yemeni newspaper writer Alkhatab Alrawhani called on the international community to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and the UAE to stop arming the illegal militias in southern Yemen.
Alrawhani said the peace process in Yemen “is nearing dead and must be revived by taking a different course and a new road map, starting first from the Yemeni interior.”
“The international community needs to use its resources to help rebuild Yemen’s legitimate government.” The author said “The most important steps here are to help the government have a stronger presence in liberated areas of the country and to rebuild state institutions — such as unified security forces, judiciary, the Central Organization for Control and Auditing and financial institutions.”
He continued: “This, of course, will not happen unless genuine pressure is exerted on the Saudi-led coalition — and the United Arab Emirates, in particular, across southern Yemen — to cease their financing and arming of non-state militias, many of which are directly at odds with the legitimate government they ostensibly support.”
The Yemeni writer notes that the Yemeni government’s efforts to regain its sovereignty and control over state institutions have been paralyzed for a long time due to the actions of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
More than four years after the alliance’s intervention in Yemen, “Saudi Arabia’s strategy remains devoid of a larger vision. Hiding behind the coalition, the UAE continues to carry out a more calculated approach, weakening and dividing the Yemeni government. Yet the Gulf state receives little criticism for its endeavors in Yemen compared to Saudi Arabia.”
Alrawhani believes that it is also time to start a political process between the parties, which are united in opposing the Houthi militias but divided because of their desire for power, a weakness that has been further exploited during the ongoing crisis.
He added that “The dispute between Yemen’s political parties can be resolved if the process includes the reassembling of the Yemeni parliament in liberated Yemeni territory and a reassessment of the presidency, so that the decision-making process is more inclusive and is not solely in Hadi’s hands.”
“Many Yemenis have been disappointed by the lack of leadership displayed by Hadi over the past five years, not least because he remains a “hotel president” living in Saudi Arabia. It will be nearly impossible for Yemen to move forward without reshaping Hadi’s position or his responsibilities, as only a strong government with broad support can lead Yemen to peace.”
The author warns that if the international community fails to strengthen state institutions and help the Yemeni government regain its sovereignty, the underlying causes of the conflict will remain, and the worst humanitarian crisis in the world is likely to continue.
It is worth mentioning that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are working to strengthen the Islamic militant groups in the face of the group of militias Houthi, according to previous statements by former Yemeni diplomat Abbas al-Masawi.
Al-Masawi explained that the UAE is working in Yemen according to its own agenda to enable southerners to secede from the north, pointing out that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have worked to divide geography, the south of the UAE and the north of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia also supports radical Salafist organizations and has gathered most of their members on the border between Saudi and Yemen to defend it, as well as supporting extremist organizations in Marib.
The UAE supports the Abu al-Abbas group allied to al-Qaeda in Taiz, which operates outside the state and refuses to obey the popular resistance that supports the legitimate government led by President Hadi. Abu Dhabi has also established the security belt in Aden and the Hadramiyah Elite Forces.
A previous report by the United Nations has confirmed the support of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to militant groups in Yemen and the impact on the increase in conflict in the country and the targeting of civilians in a horrific manner.