Yemen’s complicated war just got more complicated
Yemen's southern coastal city of Aden has been gripped by
days of fighting after armed separatist forces - backed by the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) - moved against the internationally recognized government.
Fighters from the Southern Resistance Forces (SRF), the
armed wing of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) - a political movement
demanding secession for southern Yemen - clashed with the Yemeni army and were
able to wrest control of a key military base in Aden's Khormaksar district and
capture scores of soldiers.
The STC is said to have precipitated the crisis by handing
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government an ultimatum last week to either
dismiss Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dhagr and his cabinet or face an overthrow.
The group accused Hadi's government of "rampant
corruption" resulting in a "deteriorating economic, security and
social situation never before witnessed in the history of the south".
Hadi's government refused the ultimatum and subsequently
banned public gatherings ahead of Sunday's deadline.
Residents told Al Jazeera that when the Yemeni army was
deployed early on Sunday to prevent separatists from entering the city, it
triggered the fierce confrontation.
At least 12 people were killed in the clashes and more than
130 wounded before Hadi's government called an immediate ceasefire.
Fighting didn't subside, however, and residents told Al
Jazeera on Monday that gunfire continues throughout the city.
Who are the separatists?
Separatists have long campaigned for the secession of
southern Yemen, which was an independent country before 1990.
Less than four years after merging with the north, the south
tried to split away in 1994 citing economic and political marginalisation, but
it was crushed after a short-lived but bloody civil war.
Since 2007, southern groups have been rallying for greater
autonomy, and those calls intensified after the 2011 Arab spring uprising and
the outbreak of the 2015 Yemeni civil war.
The STC, formed in 2017 by Aidarous al-Zubaidi, a
51-year-old militia leader, says Hadi's government, which is allied to Islah -
a group ideologically linked to the Muslim Brotherhood movement - should sack
his prime minister and cabinet and exclude Islah-aligned leaders from the
political leadership.
Who's fighting who?
The UAE, a major patron of the STC, has invested millions of
dollars in the group and pro-autonomy Salafis in a bid to secure its interests
in the region.
With a sizeable budget, the STC has been able to rally a
number of tribes to its cause and develop a large following in the coastal
cities of Aden and Mukalla, as well as the provinces of Dhale and Lahij.
Despite hailing from the south himself, Hadi's support has
been restricted to the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa following bloody events
that rocked the south in January 1986.
Shallal Shayae, Aden's security chief and a senior commander
of the SRF, has had a long and personal grudge against the president after his
father was assassinated by forces close to Hadi.
Hadi was aligned with then President Ali Nasser Mohamed,
whose bodyguards carried out the killing. The duo would flee the south to north
after losing the war, which claimed close to 10,000 lives and divided the south
along ideological and tribal lines.
However, most of Hadi's power comes from Saudi Arabia, where
he has been based since 2016. The Saudis formed an Arab coalition and launched
attacks against Houthi rebel forces in 2015 and Riyadh supports Hadi's forces
with military assistance and financial largesse.
What's happening right now?
The STC has blamed Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr for the
violence and urged Hadi to sack him and his cabinet.
"The STC holds the bin Daghr government fully
responsible after it violated the Arab coalition's call for calm and used
weapons to prevent demonstrators from reaching the parades square," it
said in a statement.
The STC has said it is willing to de-escalate the situation,
but Zaid al-Jamal, al-Zubaidi's secretary, told Al Jazeera the
"uprising" would continue until Hadi's government was
"toppled".
International aid organisation Oxfam says the violence has
forced it to close down its offices in Aden, while residents have complained of
schools and government institutions being forced to shutter.
What is the UAE's role?
The UAE is believed to be sponsoring southern Yemen's
secession to advance its interests in the region.
The Gulf emirate entered Yemen's war in March 2015 as part
of the Saudi-led military coalition after Houthi rebels - traditionally based
in the northwest of the country - seized Sanaa, the capital, and claimed they
were the legitimate government.
Despite having a relatively small army, the UAE sent a
significant number of ground forces to Yemen. In contrast, Saudi Arabia was
cautious to deploy troops; the Saudi National Guard and Royal Saudi Land Forces
(RSLF) play minimal roles in the conflict.
The UAE's interest relates to the security of the Bab
el-Mandab strait, one of the world's busiest oil and gas shipping lanes.
Protecting the flow of oil and gas shipments in the Red Sea
and Egypt's Suez Canal is vital for UAE's ability to trade with Europe and
North America.
Divisions between UAE-Saudi over Yemen?
Nearly three years on, and with fighting showing no signs of
abating, Saudi Arabia has said it "wants out" of the war, which is
believed to cost the kingdom an estimated $66m a day.
Conversely, the Emiratis have become more involved in the
conflict, indicating a divide in the two countries' agendas.
The UAE has been financing and training armed groups that
only answer to it, setting up prisons, and creating a security establishment parallel
to Hadi's government, according to Human Rights Watch.
The Middle East Eye news website, quoting sources, reported
that Hadi was incensed with the UAE, accusing Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Zayed of acting as an occupying force as opposed to a liberation one.
The weakening of Hadi's government has gone hand-in-hand
with the UAE's growing power. According to Maysa Shuja al-Deen, a non-resident
fellow at the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, the Emiratis seem
disillusioned with Saudi Arabia's plan for the country.
"The Saudis believe any talk of secession will
de-legitimise the war effort, which they have repeatedly claimed is about
restoring the government of President Hadi. Meanwhile, the Emiratis don't want
to see any party close to Hadi and Islah anywhere near power.
"The coalition is divided and no longer knows what they
want," she said.
Citation:
Response:
Author bias- Based on the lenient side of the author, it was
pretty clear to see that the author is on the side of President Hadi; when
looking at the content of the article the author makes it clear that he is for
President Hadi, even if he is in the wrong or not.
Targeted audience- the article is of the higher educated realm,
people who are of voting age living in Yemen, or the UAE would be the targeted
audience. The people who are of this audience are interested in the current country
(region) affairs, and want to be informed of their current estate, and problems
of their country.
Bias- when at first glance I am for the people of Yemen, the
people who are the underdog, the people who are for the Yemenis, people who are
of the lower class. Now granted that is not every Yemenis, but a good portion
of them are of the poorer class. Saudi Arabian are of the higher class I believe
and do not represent the underdog qualification, therefore I am against them.
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