A Saudi military member stands next to a destroyed building in Aden, Yemen. (Photo: Ahmed Farwan/flickr/cc)
On January 31, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) captured most of the coastal city of Aden in southern Yemen, according to Yemeni sources. STC forces also managed to besiege all the supporters of Saudi-backed President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in the presidential place inside the city.
While all local sources confirm these reports, a spokesman for the Ahmed Obeid bin Dagher government, Rajeh Badi, denied these claims and said that the city is under the full control of pro-Hadi forces.
The al-Arabiya TV reported that pro-Hadi forces supported by Saudi warplanes were able to recapture the al-Liwa military camp in the northern part of Aden. However, some Yemeni source reported that STC forces handed some positions back to pro-Hadi forces under the local “de-escalation” agreement.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition announced in an official statement that it has been monitoring the situation in Aden city the last two days. Furthermore, the coalition vowed in its statement to take “necessary steps to restore security and stability in Aden”.
So far, no real agreement has been reached to cease the conflict in Aden. The STC insists that the Dagher government should resign. In turn, Saudi Arabia seeks to impose a deal on the sides involved in the violence in Aden. On the same time, the UAE is for sure not willing to go into a deep political conflict with Saudi Arabia over the situation in Yemen.
STC = Sexually Transmitted Contagion! :D
Saudis have barely moved for years now, but continue to bleed money hand over fist over this thing…
Any one else look at the situation in Yemen and think “WTF”, I’m waiting for Somali backed group personally!
How historians can record this chaotic period honestly without being accused of writing works of fiction , I have no idea :)
Well if you start with the axiom that the Saudis are retarded, then things start making sense.
That’s a logical start I agree.
So Yemen civil war turned into Al-Qaeda (DAESH) war , attaking all sides but also Houthi quick civil war recently and now Saudi backed Forces civil war damn , and I thought Syria was a mess in factions atleast they don’t fight amongst each other that commonly only radical groups sometimes
The STC was already in and around Aden (both the city and province). They officially established themselves as a secessionist movement almost a year ago, succeeding the Southern Movement which had been around for years. The only difference now is that the UAE-commanded and dominated Yemeni ground forces in the southern provinces just joined them to beat up Hadi’s corrupt government in Aden. This, after Hadi’s forces started shooting at STC protesters last weekend.
Neighboring provinces sent some troops in to Aden help with the beatdown (or coup, depending on who you ask). The UAE can send more of it’s own merc army tho Aden, but that probably isn’t necessary. The coup and battles are limited to the city of Aden – the rest of the Hadi-loyalist and/or UAE/STC troops are still battling the Houthis in the north.
Hadi is still in exile in KSA – his PM and ministers were running Yemen from Aden. ‘The Yemeni government’ was protected within Aden by a thousand or so of Hadi’s Presidential Guard, loyalist Yemeni Army units and loyalist militias. They really have no chance against a determined military effort by the UAE/STC, but most of this battle is really being fought behind the scenes in Riyadh and Doha. Still, the clashes in Aden are violent (tank battles, etc.) and have killed dozens and injured hundreds.
Maybe the people of northern Yemen should consider taking up the religion of their forefathers of the fifth/sixth century, when a large part of the region was of jewish faith and the region was way more prosporous then the present backward sectarian garbage dump.
Just an idea out of the present mess,