People take part in a protest against Saudi Arabia in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, on December 30. File Photo by Najeeb Mohamed/EPA
Jan. 4 (UPI) — Saudi-backed government forces have reclaimed oil-rich territory from United Arab Emirates-supported, armed separatists in Yemen.
The Southern Transitional Council, which seeks to create a new state called South Arabia, seized the provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra in Southern Yemen last month.
But Yemeni information minister Moammar al-Eryani, who represents the Presidential Leadership Council, told The New York Times by phone Sunday that government forces have since re-taken Hadramout, “assumed positions” in al-Mahra and are optimistic about securing the de facto capital of Aden soon.
Al-Eryani also urged the separatists in the region to surrender as “the state reasserts authority.”
Al Jazeera said the Yemeni government has invited the STC to a conference in Saudi Arabia and that STC representatives see this as a “genuine opportunity for serious dialogue.”
The tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE is taking place more than a decade after the two powerful countries joined forces to stop the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.
Over the years, however, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have supported different factions and agendas within Yemen.
The UAE is helping the separatists’ crusade for independence, while Saudi Arabia wants its neighbor Yemen to be unified and stable.
