Saudi Arabia’s efforts to negotiate with the UAE to contain the advance of rebels in southern Yemen fail.
Russia Today reported that the joint Saudi-Emirati delegation’s efforts to contain the ground advance of the Southern Transitional Council, supported by Abu Dhabi, have so far failed.
According to these reports, the Transitional Council has refused to accept the request to withdraw from the provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra during its talks with the delegation.
According to a source close to the Southern Transitional Council militants, the Saudi-Emirati delegation, which consists of senior commanders of the Riyadh-led coalition, met with the head of the Transitional Council, Aidros Al-Zubaidi, in Aden on Friday evening. During the meeting, the coalition delegation called on Al-Zubaidi to withdraw from the recent gains of his forces in southern Yemen, but this request was opposed by the Transitional Council, and negotiations are still ongoing.
In recent days, the forces of the Southern Transitional Council have been able to take control of large parts of the southern provinces of Yemen. The council has justified its military operations with the aim of “expel extremists and prevent smuggling operations.”
According to reports, the Transitional Council forces have recently advanced in Hadhramaut province, capturing the city of Siyun and taking control of some oil fields in the desert areas bordering Saudi Arabia. Also in Al-Mahra province, bordering Oman and a major smuggling route, the Transitional Council has announced the joining of a number of local leaders to its coalition.
The rebel advance in large parts of Hadhramaut, Yemen’s largest province, has caused the Saudi-backed forces to retreat, and these forces are now moving towards Marib province.
These developments have increased concerns about the possibility of new clashes between the Southern Transitional Council and other Saudi-backed groups, while at the same time, speculation has intensified that the council is trying to move towards secession and the restoration of the “South Yemen” state that existed before unification in 1990.