Yemen Separatists Clash with Government Forces in Aden

On January 28^th  Yemen separatists clashed with government forces in Aden. Southern Yemeni separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) trapped members of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government within the presidential palace, including Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr.

The separatists and Hadi’s government fought alongside one another against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels to prevent the Houthis from capturing the southern Yemeni city of Aden. However, tensions between the two sides remained.

The separatists and government were in the midst of talks to allow Daghr’s government to leave the city safely, although Daghr reportedly had no intention of leaving Aden.

On January 30^th separatists seized the last stronghold of the presidential guards, which is located in the northern Dar Saad district and reached the presidential palace.

According to an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross approximately 36 were killed and 185 wounded in clashes between the government and Southern separatists, although details on the casualties are scarce.

The UAE’s involvement with the separatists is representative of the UAE’s primary motive to protect the Bab-el-Mandab strait, which lies between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Many countries within the Persian Gulf depend upon the strait since it is one of the busiest oil and gas shipping lanes for its trade with Europe and North America.

Keeping sea lanes open in the Red Sea is also important for traffic in and out of the Suez Canal, which means Egypt is interested with this situation as well. In 2013 during the removal of Mohammed Morsi the UAE supplied billions of dollars in aid to Egypt.

High ranking military officials from both Saudi Arabia and the UAE met in Aden to talk about a potential ceasefire between the two sides.

Saudi Arabia’s involvement within Yemen is more complex. Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as the primary leader of a coalition against Iranian expansionism in the region, and its role in Yemen is primarily focused on expelling or limiting Iranian influence.

Now that the South Yemen separatists are fighting the Hadi government, the question is how will the UAE and Saudi governments respond.

Given the challenges presented to both the UAE and Saudi Arabia by Iran, it’s unlikely that this conflict by their proxies is considered desirable. In 2017 the UAE and Saudi Arabia formed a political and military alliance. Both countries have strong military’s and they both have aggressive policy toward Iran.  It is unlikely that this conflict will alter their relationship in any serious manner.

The United States also weighed in on the situation, calling for all parties to refrain from escalating the situation, according to a statement issued by the State Department.

Time will tell whether this pressure will be effective in reining in the groups on the ground in Aden.