UAE announces forces’ withdrawal from Yemen amid tension with Saudi Arabia
- UAE defence ministry announces move in X post.
- UAE ministry says it had limited forces in Yemen.
- Says decision made after comprehensive assessment.
The United Arab Emirates’ defence ministry on Tuesday announced that it has ended the mission of its counterterrorism units in Yemen voluntarily, state news agency WAM reported.
It said the decision came after a comprehensive assessment following recent developments.
The defence ministry also shared its statement in Arabic on X, saying the decision was made after considering recent developments and potential risks to the safety and effectiveness of its counterterrorism missions.
The ministry said that its presence in the country “was limited to specialised personnel as part of counterterrorism efforts, in coordination with relevant international partners”.
The announcement comes after a Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, striking what it described as a foreign military support to UAE-backed southern separatists.
Saudi Arabia also backed a call for UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours.
The UAE was a member of the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi movement in Yemen from 2015. In 2019 it started a drawdown of its troops in the country but remained committed to the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) later decided to seek self-rule in the south and this month advanced in a sudden offensive against Saudi-supported Yemeni government troops.
The advance broke years of stalemate, with the STC claiming broad control of the south. Saudi Arabia had warned the STC against military moves in the eastern border province of Hadramout and sought the withdrawal of its forces. The STC dismissed the Saudi call.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, about the ongoing tensions in Yemen and regional security, said the State Department.
No casualties in strike
The coalition said the Mukalla port strike caused no casualties or collateral damage, according to Saudi state media.
Two sources told Reuters that the strike targeted the dock where the cargo of the two ships was unloaded.
Footage on Yemen’s state TV showed what it said was black smoke rising from the port in the early morning after the strike, with burned vehicles at the port.
UAE-backed forces control large swathes of land in the south including the strategically key province of Hadramout.
Yemeni presidential council head Alimi imposed a no-fly zone, and a sea and ground blockade on all ports and crossings for 72 hours, except for exemptions authorised by the coalition.
Hadramout borders Saudi Arabia and has cultural and historical ties with it. Many prominent Saudis trace their origins to the area.
Since 2022 the STC has been part of an alliance that controls southern areas outside Houthi control, under a Saudi-backed power-sharing initiative.
The Houthis control the northern region, including Sanaa, the capital.
“We will continue to prevent any military support from any country to any Yemeni faction without coordination with the legitimate government,” the coalition added.
Earlier, the head of Yemen’s presidential council asked the UAE forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours.
Yemen’s presidential council head, Rashad al-Alimi, also cancelled a defence pact with the UAE, the Yemeni state news agency said, and complained of the UAE’s support for the STC.
“Unfortunately, it has been definitively confirmed that the UAE pressured and directed the STC to undermine and rebel against the authority of the state through military escalation,” he added.
In a statement, the UAE’s foreign ministry said that it was disappointed with Saudi Arabia’s statement regarding Yemen and surprised by the airstrike.
The ministry said that the shipment, struck in the airstrike, did not contain any weapons.
The vehicles that were unloaded were not meant for any Yemeni party but were shipped for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen, it added.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both major players in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil exporters’ group, and any disagreements between the two could hamper consensus on oil output decisions.
They and six other OPEC+ members are meeting online on Sunday, and OPEC+ delegates say they will continue their current policy for no change in first-quarter production.
