The crisis in Yemen has taken a curious turn: Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the Southern Transition Council (STC) who disappeared mysteriously on Wednesday, has turned up in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE which is the main backer of the STC.
There’s no word from the UAE on why he’s there instead of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he was due for talks to end the civil war in Yemen. But the Saudis say he was flown there by UAE aircraft and “under the supervision” of UAE military officers is clear, but that very act may have put the emirate on collision course with the Saudis.
A delegation from the STC is already in Riyadh, and it appears a section may have defected to the Saudi camp, sensing perhaps that the winds are blowing in its favour. But this is conjecture, as of now the delegation is refusing any comment on the goings on.
The UAE appears disinclined for any overt confrontation with the Saudis. It has withdrawn its remaining forces in Yemen that were backing the STC’s military operations. It has also called for de-escalation in a country reeling from a humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war.
But the UAE-Saudi rift runs deep. The question being asked in Riyadh is what the UAE thought it could achieve by allowing the STC to try and overrun the two Yemeni governorates that border Saudi Arabia. It was an action that clearly crossed Saudi red lines.
Ironically, the two countries had intervened in Yemen in 2014 when the Houthis seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Both were acting to shore up the internationally recognised government headquartered in Aden.
Now that the UAE has, at least on paper, stepped back from its support for the STC, the way should be clear for the Yemeni government to unite the various factions and drive the Houthis out.
For more on this developing drama, do watch this space.
