In a move that exposes growing fractures within the anti-Houthi alliance, Saudi Arabia has formally called upon Emirati-backed separatist forces in Yemen to quit two governorates under their control.
The statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on Thursday applies public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and risks provoking a direct confrontation within the fragile coalition opposing the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels.
The Ministry asserted that the separatists’ actions have “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.”
“The kingdom stresses the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni factions and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could destabilise security and stability, which may result in undesirable consequences,” it added.
The specific demand centres on the STC’s presence in the governorates of Hadramout and Mahra. Saudi diplomacy is currently focused on mediation aimed at having the Council’s forces return to “their previous positions outside of the two governorates and handover the camps in those areas” to the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces.
“These efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous statement,” the ministry noted.
This internal confrontation also tests the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, close partners within OPEC who have nonetheless increasingly vied for influence across the region. The STC’s latest manoeuvres follow a pattern of divergent foreign policy, exemplified by the two Gulf states backing opposing factions in the ongoing war in Sudan.
The backdrop to this coalition strain is the prolonged and devastating conflict in Yemen itself. The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government. The ensuing war has killed over 150,000 people and precipitated a dire humanitarian crisis.
The STC and its supporters have increasingly championed the flag of the former South Yemen, reviving secessionist sentiments. Plans for related demonstrations in Aden, the seat of the anti-Houthi administration, remained uncertain following Saudi Arabia’s statement.
Concurrently, the Houthis continue to detain dozens of aid workers on unsubstantiated espionage charges and have issued renewed threats against Saudi territory, underscoring the complex and volatile landscape facing all parties in Yemen’s enduring conflict.
