UAE in Yemen… A country with no dignity
The UAE says it intervened within the coalition in the war on Yemen at the request of Saudi Arabia to support Yemeni legitimacy, but during the war years it undermined the authority of the legitimate government in Yemen.
The UAE has established and financed criminal armed militias that have worked day and night to overthrow Yemeni legitimacy until it came to control government headquarters in the interim capital Aden.
While there has been growing demand in Yemen for the need to end the UAE’s role in the coalition, the UAE has devoted its suspicious behavior by declaring its rejection of any move and considered that the decision is in the hands of Saudi Arabia only.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that it was Saudi Arabia who decided whether or not Abu Dhabi would continue to be part of the Arab coalition.
Last week, members of Yemen’s House of Representatives called on President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi to dispense with the UAE’s participation in the war in Yemen.
The Yemeni government accuses the UAE of backing the Southern Transitional Council, which has taken control of the Yemeni interim capital Aden and is seeking to control the rest of the southern provinces.
Today, the Ministry of Defense and the Yemeni General Staff said it would “firmly confront the rebellion of the Southern Transitional Council”, accusing the UAE of supporting it militarily, logistically and financially.
“Our forces monitored these crowds, their launch camps, their sources of mobilization, the size of their medium and heavy machinery, weapons, equipment, heavy vehicles and armored vehicles (in Shabwa), which clearly shows that the military, logistical and financial support was from the UAE, ” the ministry said.
The ministry pointed out that this UAE support represents a threat to Yemen’s security, unity and stability. The ministry stressed that “the Yemeni army is doing its duty to protect cities and institutions, and that it will remain a defender of the homeland and its gains against any internal or external ambitions.”
Last week, the Yemeni government leaked several reports that President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was taking tough action after the first day of clashes in the southern Aden, but Saudi Arabia intervened and demanded a deadline to end the events.
The leaks quoted a Yemeni government source as saying that Hadi’s actions against the UAE would be harsh, including expelling them from the Saudi-led coalition and from Yemen with all its forces, filing a formal complaint against them in the UN Security Council for supporting a coup and working to separate Yemen and divide its territory.
But the source pointed out that Saudi Arabia has asked President Hadi since the first day of events to give it five days until the end of the coup in Aden and return to normalcy.
The leaks have implications for the depth of the crisis of relations between the legitimacy of Yemen and the UAE in light of Abu Dhabi’s public support for the recent coup in Aden and continue its criminal role in supporting armed militias outside the law.
Prior to that, Emirates Leaks, citing reliable sources, said the Yemeni president rejected a Saudi attempt to arrange a meeting between him and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.
The sources said that Riyadh wished to arrange the meeting on the sidelines of bin Zayed’s visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday in order to bridge the views regarding the escalating crisis between Yemeni government and the UAE.
While Bin Zayed agreed to meet as part of his attempts to evade even a relative responsibility for the UAE’s coup against Yemeni government, Hadi categorically refused to meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
In his quick visit to Saudi Arabia, bin Zayed met only Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before leaving Riyadh angry at the Yemeni President’s position.
The Southern Transitional Council Forces recently seized brigades and camps belonging to the legitimate government, after battles between the two parties ended in control of the presidential palace, which the government considered a “complete coup” on legitimacy in Aden, calling for the withdrawal of the transitional council forces before any dialogue.
Aden is witnessing joint moves between Abu Dhabi and the separatists, in order to thwart the late pressure led by Riyadh for days, to try to force the militias to retreat from the headquarters of the Yemeni government, which seized it.
