UAE-Saudi division in Yemen's presidential council
Four members of the Yemen Presidential Leadership Council rejected council chairman al-Alimi's decision to declare a state of emergency and expel UAE forces from the country.
Lieutenant General Tarik Salih, Major General Aydarus al-Zubaydi, Major General Abu Zara al-Mahrami and Major General Faraj al-Bahsani said in a joint statement that the chairman of the council violated the agreement on the transfer of power.
“The UAE has been and continues to be an important partner in the fight against the Houthi project,” the officials said, adding that attempts to “demonize or deny” the positive role the country has played only serve Yemen's enemies.
This division looks natural given the structure of the council. He explained that the leadership council consists of eight members, including three people directly linked to the Southern Transition Council (SSC), in addition to a fourth member close to the UAE. The rest form another group led by the council president.
On the other hand, the UAE denied the accusations against it by the government of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, saying that all actions should be "based on verified facts and current coordination between the parties involved".
The UAE Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations that it provoked the war in Yemen and stated that the Saudi Arabian-led military coalition published the statement as a member country without consulting it.
The ministry argued that the shipments in question "did not contain any weapons" and that the large number of heavy armored vehicles were "not aimed at any Yemeni side, but were shipped for the use of UAE forces operating in Yemen".
The ministry emphasized that "there is a high-level coordination between the United Arab Emirates and the sister Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding these vehicles and that an agreement has been made that the vehicles will not leave the port."
The emirates did not comment directly on the order to deport their forces or the canceled joint defense agreement, but said the handling of the situation raised “legitimate questions” and could have potential repercussions.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government announced that it supported the declaration of a state of emergency by the country's president of the country's presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, after the Saudi-led coalition's attacks on the port of Mukalla.
The Yemeni National Defense Council, which convened in Saudi Arabia, said the UAE should fully comply with Yemen's decisions and sovereignty and “refrain from interfering in Yemen's internal affairs.”
The head of the GGK in the recently captured Hadramut regions of Yemen stated that his forces did not intend to withdraw from the region.
The governor of Hadramut said local authorities are ready to cooperate with National Shield forces to "prevent bloodshed".
The Hadramut Tribal Alliance issued a statement stating that it fully supports the statement issued by the president of the presidential council al-Alimi and demanding the “immediate and unconditional” withdrawal of the GGK forces.
The alliance added that it held the GGK and its supporters responsible for the escalation of the violence and pledged to take action to stop attacks by “militias from outside the state”.