Dubai: The UAE has stressed the need for the Yemeni government and Southern Transitional Council to engage in the Saudi initiative to reduce tension in Aden.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted on Sunday morning that the way to move forward from current tensions is through Saudi-led dialogue.
Tensions have been high between STC forces and the Yemeni government in the southern Yemeni provinces.
On Thursday, STC forces overran the city, and allied Security Belt forces, carried out anti-Al Qaida operations over the weekend.
“The coalition is very concerned with terrorists, including AQAP (Al Qaida) and Daesh, taking advantage of current escalation in the South. The UAE as part of Coalition will continue to act firmly against the re-emergence of terror groups in Yemen,” he tweeted.
The UAE is a key member of a Saudi-led coaliton fighting in Yemen in order to restore the internationally-recognised government of Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
An Iran-backed Al Houthi coup in 2014 ousted Hadi from the capital Sana’a.
Since then, Hadi set up temporary government headquarters in Aden and also spends much time in Riyadh.
While the coalition has made sweeping gains against Al Houthis across the country—liberating some 85 per cent of territories, main population centres remain under Al Houthi control.
The security vacuum due to the Al Houthi takeover was exploited by Al Qaida in the early days of the coup which overran large swatches of the country’s south and east.
A UAE-led campaign was able to eradicate much of Al Qaida’s presences in these areas, however, the group seems to be reasserting itself in the south.
The UAE has expressed concern over the recent resurfacing of Al Qaida in Yemen’s south and has stressed its right to strike at these emerging threats.
Despite the UAE’s steadfast campaign against Al Qaida, it remains committed to its membership in the Saudi-led coalition and its fight against Al Houthi militants.
“The Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, solid & vital to regaining peace & stability in Yemen. Focus on internal unity, through continued dialogue, essential to address/ confront the challenge of the Houthi coup,” Gargash tweeted.
