Saudi Arabia welcomes Yemen’s request to help resolve battle in South | Conflict News

The Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed the request of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), supported by Saudi Arabia, to organize a forum in Riyadh to resolve the issue. a deadly factional divide in the south of the country, which fueled armed conflict and triggered tensions between Gulf Arab countries.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry called on southern factions to participate in the forum in the Saudi capital to “formulate a comprehensive vision of equitable solutions to the southern cause.”

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Earlier on Saturday, CLP Chairman Rashad al-Alimi called on different groups and personalities in southern Yemen to come together for a meeting in Riyadh, according to Saba news agency.

Saba quoted al-Alimi emphasizing “the rightness and centrality of the Southern cause” and “rejecting any unilateral or exclusionary solution” to resolve the ongoing conflict.

Deadly tensions have erupted in recent days, after the separatist group Southern Transitional Council (STC) launched a major offensive in the Yemeni provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra, which make up almost half of Yemen’s territory.

The oil-producing city of Hadhramaut borders Saudi Arabia, and many prominent Saudis trace their origins to the province, giving it cultural and historical significance to the kingdom. Its capture by the STC last month was seen by the Saudis as a threat.

The STC is part of the anti-Houthi coalition in southern Yemen. But it is understood to be planning to create its own nation in southern Yemen, provoking conflict with its partner, the internationally recognized Yemeni government led by the PLC.

The Saudis have accused their coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), of arming the STC, whose military operation now threatens to divide Yemen into three, while also posing problems for Riyadh’s national security.

The UAE has denied the allegations, insisting it supports Saudi Arabia’s security.

In a statement released on Saturday, the UAE expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing escalation and called on Yemenis “to prioritize wisdom and exercise restraint to ensure the security and stability of the country.”

The Saudi-backed coalition was formed in 2015 to try to dislodge Iran-backed Houthi rebels from northern Yemen.

But after a brutal decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place while Saudi- and Emirati-backed factions attack each other in the south.

Airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition killed 20 people on Friday, according to the STC.

On Friday evening, the United Arab Emirates announced the return of all Emirati armed forces personnel from Yemen, signaling a possible detente with Saudi Arabia.

The UAE Ministry of Defense said the withdrawal of its forces from Yemen was in line with its decision to “conclude the remaining missions of counter-terrorism units”.

“The process was carried out in a manner to ensure the safety of all personnel and carried out in coordination with all relevant partners,” the ministry said in a statement published on the Emirates News Agency website.

As the UAE announced its withdrawal, the STC unilaterally declared that it intended to maintain a referendum on independence from the north in two years.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, former Yemeni diplomat and MP Ali Ahmed al-Amrani, however, rejected the idea of ​​secession as a solution to the Yemeni crisis, saying it “does not reflect a national consensus”.

Meanwhile, Hisham Al-Omeisy, a political and conflict analyst specializing in Yemen at the European Institute of Peace, warned that if left unresolved, the latest violence in the south could mark the start of a dangerous new phase of the war, with rival forces seeking to reshape control on the ground.

“We are going to see a bloody conflict, at least in the coming days, to draw a new map of the south,” he added.

“This is protracted fighting,” Al-Omeisy told Al Jazeera, describing a situation in which “warring factions are trying to gain territory and gain the upper hand.

“This is a proxy war within a proxy war,” he said, adding that the consequences could extend far beyond Yemen’s borders.