Yemen’s internationally recognised government has accused UAE-backed southern separatists of restricting access to the port city of Aden, warning it would take “all necessary measures” as tensions persist despite renewed talk of dialogue.
The government said on Sunday that the Southern Transitional Council (STC) had taken steps to block the movement of citizens into Aden, and claimed it had received reports of arrests across the city. The accusations come a day after government forces said they had retaken territory in eastern Yemen following clashes with the separatists.
The STC denied the claims, telling Reuters the accusations were a complete distortion of the facts and insisting that the situation in Aden remained stable. Reuters said it could not independently verify the government’s allegations.
The dispute highlights continuing hostility between the two sides, even after proposals for talks raised hopes of a negotiated solution. Fighting between the government and the STC since early last month has fractured the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi movement and triggered a wider rift between Gulf powers.
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia and its allies to intervene the following year in support of the government. Since then, Yemen has been split into rival zones of control.
A senior government official told Reuters that forces would continue advancing towards Aden, adding that any dialogue would only begin once the city was secured. Aden has served as the main seat of power outside Houthi-controlled areas since 2015, but government leaders relocated to Saudi Arabia early last month after the STC seized control of the city.
On Saturday, government forces said they had retaken Mukalla in the eastern province of Hadramout, while residents around Aden reported STC fighters setting up checkpoints.
Disruption has also affected air travel. Aden airport closed on Thursday amid a dispute over flights between the city and the United Arab Emirates, with both sides blaming each other. At least one flight departed on Sunday, according to travellers and airport officials. The U.S. Embassy said it had received reports of closures and diversions, including flights redirected to the Yemeni island of Socotra.
Late on Friday, the government said it had asked Saudi Arabia to host a forum to resolve the southern dispute. Riyadh agreed and extended invitations to southern factions. The STC welcomed the move on Saturday, signalling that negotiations may now be seen by all sides as the eventual way out of the brief but destabilising conflict.
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The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has accused the United Arab Emirates of operating a secret prison at an airbase near the southern port city of Mukalla, escalating tensions between the two Gulf powers. The allegations were made on Monday by Salem Al-Khanbashi, governor of Hadramout province.
The leader of Yemen’s southern separatists failed to travel to Riyadh for crisis talks on Wednesday, leaving his fate unclear and complicating efforts to contain a military escalation that has widened a rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The head of the United Arab Emirates‑backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) of Yemen, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has fled to an unknown location on Wednesday (7 January), skipping a scheduled flight to Riyadh for crisis talks, according to Saudi‑backed coalition officials.
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