Yemen in state of emergency after Saudi Arabia bombings

Yemen today declared a state of emergency throughout its territory. The decision comes after air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition against positions linked to southern separatists. Riyadh claims to have conducted a "limited military operation" targeting arms shipments unloaded at the port of al-Mukalla in the east of the country.

According to the Saudi authorities, these weapons came from two ships that arrived from the Emirati port of Fujairah and were destined for the forces of the Southern Transitional Council. This separatist movement, supported by the United Arab Emirates, had until now been allied with the internationally recognised Yemeni government in the fight against Houthi rebels. This alliance broke down in early December when southern forces seized large swathes of territory.

The Southern Transitional Council claims it wants to restore the former state of South Yemen, which was independent between 1967 and 1990. In recent weeks, its fighters have made progress, particularly in the Hadramaut region, without encountering any major resistance. This advance has profoundly altered the internal balance of the conflict.

The Saudi authorities believe that these arms deliveries pose a direct threat to the security of the kingdom and the region. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs accuses Abu Dhabi of "pushing" the separatists to carry out military operations near Saudi Arabia's southern border, describing the Emirati actions as extremely dangerous.

In the wake of this, the Yemeni Presidential Council, supported by Riyadh, announced the cancellation of a defence pact with the United Arab Emirates. It also gave Emirati forces a 24-hour ultimatum to leave Yemeni territory and declared a nationwide state of emergency.

The United Arab Emirates responded this afternoon by denying the Saudi claims and announcing the withdrawal of its forces still present in Yemen. The Ministry of Defence said it was ending the anti-terrorist teams deployed in the country, specifying that this decision had been taken on its own initiative, in coordination with the partners concerned and with the safety of its personnel in mind.

On the ground, a local official at the port of al-Mukalla said that the evacuation of the area had been ordered shortly before the air strike. According to this source, no casualties were reported, but the roads leading to the port were closed due to the risk of explosions linked to ongoing fires.

The United States has called for restraint. The US Secretary of State avoided taking sides between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two key partners of Washington, while stressing the need to avoid further escalation.

These tensions come in a country already ravaged by more than a decade of conflict. Since 2014, the war in Yemen has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions and caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. A truce agreed in 2022 remains largely respected, but recent developments raise fears of further destabilisation. RFI

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