Yemeni expert Abdullah bin Amer affirmed that no one is any longer unaware of the regional tendency toward splitting Yemen and that both historical facts and recent developments on the ground are now obvious to everyone.
Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
According to Bin Amer, the divide planned for Yemen is not along the lines of the North-South formula, as some have suggested, but rather a step toward dividing the South first and then moving on to dividing the North. He made this statement to Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni.
Bin Amer, the author of “Yemen’s Division with British Imprints,” confirmed Saudi Arabia’s desire to rule the entire South, especially after losing the North, and that when it discovered a rival, it turned towards trying to impose a reality in the eastern provinces. Even if a deal is made to split the south into an eastern Saudi and a western Emirati region, this does not indicate that the conflict will end at this time. The conflict will continue, and each party will work to exclude the other while at the same time consolidating the reality of division until all Yemenis accept it.
Bin Amer pointed out that Saudi Arabia is not against division as a matter of principle but rather against its effects and outcomes, which benefit another opposing power. It wants to be behind this project and be the first beneficiary of it, while the UAE is attempting to exert influence in the region by promoting division along the lines of a North-South formula. It may retreat from accepting the division of the South itself due to its inability to continue the conflict with Saudi Arabia to the end, unless local factors impose themselves on the foreign agenda or external factors result in an agreement to share influence or a retreat by one party in front of the other.
According to him, division is a constant project for regional and international forces, and they use it anytime there is a chance to impose it on reality. Early in the 1970s, Western powers—particularly the US and Britain—sought a way to share what was then known as the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen through Saudi Arabia. The plan at the time was to create a state in Aden with territory west of the south, while the east would be directly subject to Saudi Arabia. This mirrors what was known as the Western and Eastern Protectorates during the British colonial era.
Ben Amer mentioned that this project was proposed by King Faisal to President Abdul Rahman Al-Eryani in order to make the north part of it by starting a war against the Democratic Republic of Yemen and supporting the southern opposition that was in the north until it reaches Aden and announces the establishment of the Arab Republic of Yemen, and this republic will be loyal to Saudi Arabia and allow Britain to return to Aden. As for the United States and Saudi Arabia, the project required controlling the east, specifically Hadramout. Aramco had a plan for expansion by extending an oil pipeline to the coast of the Arabian Sea. In exchange for the north’s participation in the military work, it would take areas belonging to Shabwah; thus, the south was shared. However, the plan failed, although Faisal had assured al-Eryani that Hadramout has a special status and will enter into a confederal union with Saudi Arabia before being fully annexed, as happened with the Al-Idrisi Emirate.
Ben Amer stated that Saudi Arabia attempted to reimpose this project during the 1994 war by supporting the secession, not to regain the Democratic Republic of Yemen but to pave the way for the separation of Hadramout. It seems that some people were aware of this scheme, even among those who supported secession at the time. Saudi Arabia has failed in this project for several internal and external reasons.
Ben Amer concluded by emphasizing that Yemen is facing a dangerous turning point and that Yemenis have a historical responsibility to confront these challenges. Division is not the solution, but rather a prelude to further conflicts. Those who believe that the solution lies in division need to realize that those who are pushing for division do not want good for Yemen, nor for the south, nor for any region of Yemen. Therefore, Aden will not become like Dubai or Al-Mukalla like Jeddah. Whoever thinks otherwise should revisit history and its events or read the details of what is happening today and what the UAE’s or Saudi Arabia’s intervention aims to achieve. Then, they will realize that Yemen is the target from its south, north, east, and west.
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