UAE backs Saudi efforts to restore stability in Yemen amid STC tension

“The UAE reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to supporting all endeavors aimed at strengthening stability and development in Yemen,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The United Arab Emirates welcomes Saudi Arabian efforts to support security and stability in Yemen and remains committed to backing stability in the country, the UAE’s foreign ministry said on Friday.

Yemen’s main southern separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is supported by Abu Dhabi, has pushed the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government from its headquarters in Aden while claiming broad control across the south earlier this month.

“The UAE reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to supporting all endeavors aimed at strengthening stability and development in Yemen,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it remains hopeful that STC will end an escalation and withdraw its forces from the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra.

Now that the STC has gained some ground in recent weeks, the Houthis might be planning a counterattack, according to UAE-based news site Al-Ain News.

“Al-Ain News learned from Yemeni security and military sources that the Houthi militias have deployed unprecedented military reinforcements to the southern internal fronts in the country,” the report said.

“The sources explained that the Houthi militia’s mobilization comes as part of preparations for a major military offensive towards southern Yemen in response to the southern forces cutting off the militia’s supply lines in Al-Mahra Governorate.”

STC historical record of action

The STC was initially part of the Sunni Muslim Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthis. But the group has turned on the government and sought self-rule in the south.

Yemen has already been marred by a civil war since 2014, with the Houthis controlling the northern part of the country, including the capital Sanaa, after forcing the Saudi-backed government to flee south.

“Yemen was unified in 1990, but political disputes in the south later fueled renewed secessionist calls, particularly after the outbreak of the current civil war in 2014,” the report said. “It is currently under the effective control of multiple administrations, including the Houthis, the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), and the STC.”

“The STC currently controls around 52% of Yemen’s territory,” Anadolu Agency reported. “The Houthis hold approximately 33%, while about 10% remains under the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and its allied forces. The remaining 5% is controlled by forces loyal to Tareq Saleh, a nephew of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.”