Yemen: A Strategic Divorce in the Gulf
The long-standing alliance between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Yemen has fractured into open military confrontation. On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition conducted airstrikes on the port city of Mukalla, targeting two UAE-linked vessels. Saudi officials claim the ships were delivering an unauthorized shipment of heavy weaponry and armored vehicles to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group seeking to revive an independent South Yemen.
The UAE has denied these allegations, stating the shipment was non-military and announcing the voluntary withdrawal of its remaining forces from Yemen following a 24-hour ultimatum from Riyadh. This “strategic divorce” between the two Gulf powers complicates the already dire humanitarian landscape, as the United Nations warns that disruptions to the port of Mukalla could sever critical supply chains for a population already suffering from a decade of civil war.
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