Abu Dhabi: The UAE was a nascent country with limited resources, but it had the will to stand by the oppressed against the oppressors. The nation was just two years old when Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of the UAE, supported Egypt and Syria during the October War against Israel.
Shaikh Zayed was a pan-Arab nationalist who believed greatly in Arab unity. He instilled in his people, direct family and countrymen alike, the spirit of unity and duty that transcended conventional lines of segregation and disparity.
If during the early 1970s Abu Dhabi’s financial reserves were modest, it was because Shaikh Zayed dedicated a significant portion — what amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars — to Arab states confronting Israel. “Arab oil is not dearer than Arab blood,” Shaikh Zayed said during the events.
During the 1973 October War, Shaikh Zayed supported King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who pledged significant financial support to both Egypt and Syria. He also supported the oil embargo on the United States and Netherlands after former American President Richard Nixon authorised a massive military transfer to Israel.
When Emirati troops mobilised in March to neighbouring Yemen, their objective was selfless rather than self-serving.
Operation Decisive Storm (then Operation Restoring Hope) came just three weeks after Yemen’s president, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, appealed to the rulers of UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other GCC member countries for help in “protecting Yemen” by providing “instant support by all necessary means, including military intervention, to protect Yemen and its people from the continuous Al Houthi aggression.”
The Yemenis called — and the sons of Shaikh Zayed and the UAE answered. This, it could be said, is akin to the UAE’s sons responding to the higher calling Shaikh Zayed instilled in them, and in the collective mindset of his country.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said the participation of the UAE’s gallant Armed Forces in Yemen operation adds a new chapter to the nation’s glory, to the history of the UAE military, renowned for sacrifices and achievements and to the history of the country in support of righteousness, a legacy of the late Shaikh Zayed.
‘Shield that protects its soil’
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has said that the UAE is a nation of peace which never hesitates to establish and promote the causes of peace, and consolidate the foundations for preserving and perpetuating it.
“The honourable performance of our Armed Forces in the battlefield and their effective contribution towards the victories of the Arab Coalition in Yemen are the best proof that our soldiers maintain high defence and combat readiness, which ensures that our country possesses a shield that protects its soil and a sword that guarantees its security and the safety of it people,” Shaikh Mohammad said. The UAE’s participation in aiding Yemen, then, was not unexpected.
The UAE’s military mobilisation didn’t come to benefit the UAE directly, rather to dislodge an illegitimate government arising from a coup d’état. The UAE’s participation in Operation Decisive Storm, and then Operation Restoring Hope, did not come to advance the country’s own gains, but as a response to the Yemeni people’s genuine need for assistance following the deposing of their legitimate government at the hands of Al Houthi rebels.
‘Prevent worst case scenario’
Federal National Council member Naema Abdullah Saeed Al Sharhan, the third woman to be elected to the council, said of the Emirati martyrs: “Our martyrs’ participation in the war against injustice reflects the key role of the UAE’s involvement in the joint Arab coalition forces to provide security and safety in the region and also reflects their solid will in addressing the challenges which undermine the security and stability of the Arab nation.”
By that, of course, she meant Yemen. But it’s not only the safety of Yemen that is at stake.
The UAE joined the Arab coalition with a clear purpose: to prevent the Al Houthi rebels from gaining a foothold in the Arab country of Yemen, from where they could destabilise neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
“The UAE is in Yemen because inaction would have been strategically and politically more costly in the long run than action. The underlying imperative of the Yemen campaign is to prevent this worst-case scenario,” leading Emirati analyst Dr Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said.
Dr Abdulla, professor of political science and chairman of the Arab Council for Social Sciences, added that the UAE stood by Saudi Arabia. There was a collective Gulf need to stand up to expansionist Iran. Yemen was the place to draw the line.
Clear message
Over and above these geopolitical imperatives, the UAE is in Yemen to send a clear message to all that it is a rising regional power that when called upon knows how to fight.
The Emirati martyrs performed historic acts of patriotism owing to the legacy passed on by their forefathers.
Hamad Bin Galita, an FNC member from Ajman, said we take pride in UAE Armed Forces’ soldiers who “represented a role model for Emirati and Arab citizens in making sacrifices to support the people of Yemen”.
Sense of pride
Praising the heroism of the UAE Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in the battlefield to defend the right and justice in Yemen, Bin Galita said the victories accomplished by the UAE Armed Forces give Emiratis a sense of pride.
“This sacrifice reflects the commitment and belonging to the homeland, as well as loyalty to the wise leadership that instilled the love of the country and readiness to sacrifice for the sake of the nation’s stability,” Bin Galita added.
Hamad Al Rahoumi, a member from Dubai, paid tribute to not only the Emirati martyrs but also to the parents and families of martyrs whose sacrifices “played a great role in paving the way to the victories achieved by our Armed Forces participating in the Arab coalition in support of their brothers in Yemen.
“Commemoration Day is filling the hearts of Emirati citizens with patriotism and pride. On this glorious day, we say to families of martyrs, ‘We are all your children and rest assured that our martyrs will always be in our midst with the victories they achieved’.”
Veteran Federal National Council member Ali Jasem paid glowing tribute to the courageous UAE Armed Forces servicemen taking part in Operation Restoring Hope.
Numerous sacrifices
“Our gallant soldiers made sacrifices in Yemen and achieved numerous victories, including liberation of the historic Marib and the recapture of Marib Dam, which is linked to the UAE memory, especially of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who had ordered the rebuilding of the Marib Dam.
“The UAE Armed Forces will remain a source of pride and security. Our martyrs deserve our honour, prestige and love. Their sacrifices are invaluable. They left their families and laid down their lives for the cause of this beloved country and the entire Arab nation.
“We pledge that the UAE flag for which the martyrs died for will be kept flying high.”
