UAE to pull forces out of Yemen as tensions rise with Saudi Arabia 

The United Arab Emirates has announced the withdrawal of its forces from Yemen, declaring an end to what it called “counterterrorism” operations there, after Saudi Arabia accused Abu Dhabi of supporting separatists in the Gulf nation.

The announcement on Tuesday came after Yemen’s internationally recognised government demanded the UAE pull its forces from the country within 24 hours, a call that was backed by Saudi Arabia.

Hours earlier, Saudi-led coalition forces also attacked the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, targeting what Riyadh said was a UAE-linked weapons shipment destined for the separatist Southern Transition Council (STC) in Yemen.

The STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthi rebels, launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops this month, seeking an independent state in the south.

The advance broke years of stalemate, with the STC ‌seizing broad control of broad swathes of southern Yemen, including Hadramout and Mahara provinces, in defiance of warnings from Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia accuses the UAE of supporting the STC, but Abu Dhabi denies the claim.

Following Tuesday’s rapid-fire events, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence said it carried out a “compressive assessment” of its role in Yemen and has decided to end its mission there.

“In light of recent developments and their potential implications for the safety and effectiveness of counterterrorism missions, the Ministry of Defence announces the termination of the remaining counterterrorism personnel in Yemen of its own volition, in a manner that ensures the safety of its personnel,” the statement said.

The Saudi-led coalition’s strike on Yemen’s Mukalla revealed the widening rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who once cooperated in a coalition against the Houthis rebels who control most of northern Yemen.

Emirati troops first arrived in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in 2015, but the UAE pulled out most of its forces in 2019, leaving only a limited number in the government-run south.

Following the Mukalla strike, which did not cause casualties, Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council, dissolved a defence pact with the UAE  and gave Emirati forces 24 hours to leave.

In a televised speech, Alimi said it had been “definitively confirmed ‌that the UAE pressured and directed the STC to undermine and rebel against the authority of the state through military escalation”, according to the Yemeni state news agency.

Saudi Arabia then issued a statement expressing disappointment over “pressure exerted by the UAE” on the STC to conduct military operations in the Hadramout and Mahara provinces near Yemen’s borders with the kingdom.

Riyadh said it considered the moves a threat to its national security.

“In this context, the kingdom stresses that any threat to its national security is a red line, and the Kingdom will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralise any such threat,” it said.

Riyadh also called on the UAE to heed al-Alimi’s call to leave Yemen and halt “any military or financial support to any party” in the country.

It was Saudi Arabia’s strongest language ⁠yet in the falling-out between the neighbours.

The UAE said it had been surprised by the airstrike, and that the shipments in question did not contain weapons and were destined for the Emirati forces. But it said it sought a solution “that prevents escalation, based on reliable facts and existing coordination”.

Yemeni state TV showed what it said was black smoke rising from the port in the early morning, with burned vehicles. Al-Alimi declared a no-fly zone, and a sea and ground blockade on all ports and crossings for 72 hours.

However, the STC remained defiant, insisting there was “no thinking about withdrawal” from its newly seized positions.

“It is unreasonable for the landowner to be asked to leave his own land. The situation requires staying and reinforcing,” STC spokesman Anwar al-Tamimi told the AFP news agency.

“We are in a defensive position, and any movement toward our forces will be responded to by our forces,” he added.