UAE and Saudi Mediation Between Southern Separatists and the Yemeni Government

Saudi and Emirati delegations visited between Yemeni government forces and southern separatists on Thursday, attempting to end several days of conflict between the two sides. Both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have urged the Yemeni government to address the grievances of the separatists and have called for restraint from both parties. Southern separatists in Yemen began heavy attacks on government positions in the city of Aden on Sunday, which have led to the siege of the presidential palace in the city. Since the escalation of the war in 2015, the internationally recognized Yemeni government has designated Aden as the temporary capital of the country. Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President of Yemen, has been in exile in Saudi Arabia since 2015 due to the advance of Houthi rebel forces backed by Iran against government troops. On Monday, Hadi referred to the new actions of the Emirati-backed separatists as a 'coup' against his government. Currently, most government buildings in Aden are under the control of the separatists, and Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid bin Daghr is besieged in the temporary presidential palace in the port city of Aden. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the main participants in a military coalition formed to support Hadi against the Houthis. According to AFP, Saudi and Emirati delegations announced on Thursday, February 1, that they had met with all parties involved in the Aden conflict and emphasized the necessity of establishing a ceasefire. The UAE's official news agency reported that these delegations requested both sides to refocus their efforts on the fight against the Houthis. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have faced increasing difficulties in maintaining their coalition against the Shiite Houthis, who control the capital and most of northern Yemen. Southern Yemen was an independent country until 1990, before unification with northern Yemen. Most of the armed individuals fighting on the side of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi are former soldiers from southern Yemen seeking independence for the region again. Many of these individuals have been organized into special units with the efforts and training of the UAE to be deployed against Al-Qaeda in the region. These units took to the streets across Aden on Wednesday and seized control of many areas, leading to relative calm in the city compared to recent days. According to AFP, the UAE has close ties with Hani bin Brik, a leader of the separatist group known as the 'Southern Transitional Council.' Hani bin Brik is a person to whom many of the forces that have taken control of Aden are loyal. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, at least 38 people have been killed and 222 injured in the Aden clashes since Sunday. The UN humanitarian agency stated on Wednesday that there was relative calm in Aden on that day but emphasized that the entry route for aid ships to the port remains closed. The UN has reported that even before the recent clashes, Yemen was facing the most severe humanitarian crisis currently, with 8.4 million of Yemen's 22.2 million population at risk of famine.