On Thursday, UAE decided early to topple Hadramout, the oil-rich province located in eastern Yemen. What are Abu Dhabi’s goals?
“Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni”:
According to the Transitional Council, its president, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, was under Emirati pressure to bring forward his visit to Mukalla, which was initially scheduled for Saturday evening ahead of the National Assembly’s meeting. Al-Zubaidi eventually decided to comply with the Emirati request despite the looming risks.
With this decision, the UAE is pushing forcefully to blow up the situation in Hadramout or at least create skirmishes. It has mobilized hundreds of fighters, armored vehicles, and crews to the city of Mukalla, which is already overcrowded with armed factions, in an attempt by Abu Dhabi to send a message to its elder ally and arch-rival at the same time.
The escalation of tension in Hadramout coincided with the preparations for the Arab summit in Jeddah in the absence of the UAE president. Reports suggest that the rift between him and the Saudi Crown Prince is widening, a clear indication of Saudi Arabia’s failure to manage the situation in Yemen and to portray itself as the weakest state in the region as the war reaches its doorstep. This will mix up Riyadh’s cards and reduce its expectations for marketing itself as a great power in the region.
The STC may not take greater decisions than those it took in Aden, and its movement in Mukalla may not exceed the lines of maneuver against and slapping of Saudi Arabia, which is mainly in response to Saudi Arabia’s decision to expel Emirati forces from its last bases in Al-Rayyan a few days ago.
جميع الحقوق محفوظة للخبر اليمني ٢٠٢١م