Tension in the Gulf region has deepened after Saudi Arabia’s bombing of Yemen’s strategic port city of Mukalla. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Tuesday that it would withdraw its troops from Saudi Arabia. This decision has been taken at a time when Saudi Arabia alleged that weapons were sent from UAE through a ship that reached Yemen, which was targeted and attacked.

Reference to security and anti-terrorism operations
According to Bloomberg report, the UAE Defense Ministry said that it will voluntarily withdraw its remaining military personnel, keeping in mind security reasons and the effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations. The UAE Foreign Ministry has rejected allegations of sending weapons to Yemen. The ministry clarified that the UAE is supporting the restoration of the legitimate government and the fight against terrorism while fully respecting Yemen’s sovereignty. UAE says that the ship that reached Mukalla did not contain weapons, but vehicles for the use of UAE soldiers deployed there.

Yemeni parties have right over Yemen’s future: UAE
The UAE has already said that Yemen’s governance and territorial integrity should be decided by the Yemeni parties themselves, and not by external forces. On Tuesday, a ship that left from Fujairah in UAE reached Mukalla port in Yemen. Shortly after this, Saudi Arabia bombed Mukalla. Saudi Arabia alleges that this consignment was sent to provide arms to the Abu Dhabi-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).

Increasing conflict between STC and Yemeni army
STC has been demanding separate sovereignty in southern Yemen since April 2017. In contrast, the Yemeni army stands with the Hadramaut Tribal Alliance, which is supported by Saudi Arabia. The conflict between the two groups has made the area more unstable. Earlier this month, STC took control of large parts of Yemen’s Hadramaut and Mahra provinces, including oil installations. Since then, tension in the area is continuously increasing.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are supporting different political and military factions present in Yemen. The region is strategically important due to its location along global shipping routes and the Middle East’s major energy export region.

Air strikes and warning to separatists
On Friday, Saudi Arabia carried out air strikes in Hadramaut area. According to analysts, these attacks were meant to warn separatist forces to stop their advance and retreat from Hadramaut and Mahra provinces. Recent developments have further strengthened the STC’s position in southern Yemen, giving it greater influence in any future negotiations to resolve the Yemen crisis. STC has long been demanding that Southern Yemen be given the right to self-determination in any agreement.