The Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia accused southern separatists, supported by the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday of cutting off access to the port city of Aden and warned that it « would take all necessary measures, » following the recapture by its forces of territories in the east of the country.
According to a statement relayed by official media, the authorities claim that the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has restricted citizens’ movement to Aden and conducted a campaign of arrests in the city. The government considers these actions as evidence of persistent tensions, despite recent dialogue proposals that had raised hopes for de-escalation.
The separatists have rejected these accusations, asserting that the situation in Aden remains stable and denying any obstruction to movement. The STC denounced a « complete distortion of facts, » while rivalries between the two camps continue to fuel instability in southern Yemen.
This new episode highlights the persistent fracture within the coalition fighting the Houthi rebels, supported by Iran. The dispute between the government and the STC has sparked a broader quarrel among Gulf powers, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates backing opposing camps on the ground.
Yemen has been engulfed in war for over a decade. The Houthis have controlled much of the north since taking the capital Sanaa in 2014, while the south is fragmented between the internationally recognized government and separatist forces, complicating any prospects for a lasting resolution to the conflict.
