What's happened
The UAE announced a withdrawal of its remaining forces from Yemen following a Saudi demand and escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia. The move follows a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a UAE-linked weapons shipment, highlighting a rare public dispute between the Gulf allies over Yemen's conflict and regional influence.
What's behind the headline?
The recent UAE withdrawal signals a significant shift in regional alliances and Yemen policy. The UAE's support for separatists has diverged from Saudi Arabia's backing of Yemen's government, creating a rift that complicates peace efforts. The attack on the weapons shipment and the subsequent Saudi demand for UAE forces to leave reveal a deeper power struggle within the Gulf. This escalation risks destabilizing Yemen further and undermining broader Gulf cooperation. The timing suggests that regional interests, particularly control over Yemen's resources and influence, are now overriding previous alliances. The UAE's withdrawal may embolden separatist forces, potentially leading to a fragmented Yemen and complicating international peace initiatives. The dispute also impacts Gulf oil politics, as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE threaten to disrupt OPEC+ consensus, with broader implications for global markets. The next steps will likely involve diplomatic negotiations, but the underlying rivalry suggests that regional stability remains fragile, and Yemen's future uncertain.
What the papers say
The New Arab reports that the UAE's withdrawal follows a Saudi demand after a coalition airstrike on a weapons shipment, with both sides accusing each other of escalation. France 24 highlights the deepening Gulf rift, noting that the UAE denies being behind the separatist advances and emphasizes its own withdrawal as a 'counter-terrorism' measure. The articles contrast the UAE's official stance of de-escalation with the reality of ongoing military and political tensions, illustrating a complex and volatile regional dynamic. The Saudi and Emirati governments are now at odds over Yemen's future, with implications for regional security and oil markets, as noted by both sources.
How we got here
Since 2015, the UAE has supported Yemen's separatists and participated in the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis. The UAE withdrew most of its forces in 2019 but maintained limited support for the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Recent advances by the STC in resource-rich regions and the escalation with Saudi Arabia have strained Gulf cooperation, leading to the current withdrawal and diplomatic tensions.
Go deeper
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The Southern Transitional Council is a secessionist organization in Yemen. The 26 members of the STC include the governors of five southern governorates and two government ministers.
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Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is the second-largest Arab sovereign state in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 square kilometres.
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The United Arab Emirates, sometimes simply called the Emirates, is a sovereign state in Western Asia at the northeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south and west, as well as sharing m
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Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a country in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula.