Is a long-standing friendship turning into open hostility? Yemen has now become an undeclared battlefield between two Arab allies: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. On Friday, Saudi warplanes carried out a major airstrike on a base of the UAE-backed separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), in southern Yemen. At least seven people were killed, and more than 20 others were injured in the attack.
Tensions escalate in Yemen
Tensions between the two countries had been building for days. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government had issued a 24-hour ultimatum to UAE forces to leave the country. On January 31, the UAE announced that it had withdrawn all its troops from Yemen. Soon after this announcement, Saudi forces launched the airstrike on the Al-Khasah camp in Wadi Hadramout.
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Earlier, on December 30, Saudi Arabia had also bombed the port of Mukalla, claiming that the UAE was using it to ship weapons into Yemen.
Clash of interests between allies
West Asian analysts say Saudi Arabia and the UAE initially fought together against the Houthi rebels, but their interests in Yemen have now sharply diverged. Saudi Arabia supports the government of President Rashad al-Alimi and wants to keep Yemen united. The UAE, on the other hand, backs the STC, which is pushing for a separate state in the south.
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Saudi Arabia also sees the growing influence of the STC in the Hadramout and Mahra regions as a serious threat to its national security. Experts warn that this direct confrontation between the two Arab powers could push already war-torn Yemen into a fresh and dangerous phase of civil conflict.
