Saudi Arabia announced at dawn today an executive mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council - supported by the UAE - after months of consultations led by the Kingdom with the two sides.
Sources told Al-Jazeera Net that Riyadh had summoned a number of Emirati officials involved in the Yemeni file in the past few days to discuss this mechanism, which was announced after Saudi pressure on the government, and some saw a clear bias in favor of the transitional who turned against the government.
The legitimate government welcomed the Transitional Council's abandonment of its declaration of self-management of the southern governorates, as well as the Saudi statement on the proposed mechanism; To accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.
Al-Jazeera Net provides an explanation of this new agreement and mechanism, and what it means to implement the government and the transitional.
What is the Riyadh agreement?
After clashes erupted between the forces of the Transitional Council and forces affiliated with the legitimate government on August 8, 2019, the "transitional" took control of Aden and other regions, prompting Saudi Arabia to sponsor a reconciliation agreement between the two sides on November 5, 2019, and called it the "Riyadh Agreement" , And included political, economic and military arrangements, but nothing has been done.
What happened after the Riyadh agreement?
The Southern Transitional Council (established on May 11, 2017) remained tight in its grip on the temporary capital, Aden, and began expanding towards a number of southern governorates with financial and military support from Abu Dhabi, in light of deliberate attempts by the coalition to block the presence of the legitimate state, and prevent it from doing any Movements on the ground would restore Aden, which opened the appetite of the Transitional Council to control the rest of the areas in the south, but it was met with strict popular disapproval, and entered into armed confrontations with government forces in Shabwa, Abyan, and Socotra.
What is the role of Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia continued to watch the persistence of the Transitional Council - supported by the Emirates - and the legitimate government prevented it from returning all its members to Aden as stipulated in the Riyadh Agreement, and its intransigence also in implementing any clause of the agreement until April 26, 2020, the day that the transitional announced what he called Self-management of the south, after the floods disaster in Aden, and caused great damage to the infrastructure.
Why were the leaders of Transitional summoned to Riyadh?
Last May 20, the transitional council announced the arrival of its president, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, and a number of the council’s leaders, to Riyadh, on an official visit at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in order to consult the implementation of the Riyadh agreement.
During this period, the transitional took control of Socotra, and looted tens of billions of money from the Yemeni Central Bank in Hadramawt and Aden.
What is the new mechanism proposed by Saudi Arabia to implement the Riyadh agreement?
For the first time, the leaders of the Transitional Council in Riyadh have remained unaccustomed to residing in Abu Dhabi, coinciding with the escalation on the ground and the mass and military build-up; Saudi Arabia and the UAE were pressuring the Yemeni presidency and the government to accept the new amendments that had been put in place for the Riyadh agreement to revive it, until Saudi Arabia on July 28 presented a mechanism to accelerate work in implementing the Riyadh agreement.
What are the highlights of the new mechanism?
The new mechanism includes, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA):
- The continued ceasefire and escalation between the government and the transitional.
Assigning the Prime Minister of Yemen to take over the formation of a government of political efficiencies within 30 days.
Issuing the decision to form members of the government equally between the north and the south, including the ministers nominated by the transitional council.
- The transitional council announced the abandonment of self-administration and the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement and the appointment of a governor and director of security for Aden Governorate.
The exit of the military forces from Aden out of the governorate, separating the forces of the two parties in Abyan and returning them to their previous positions.
What does the mechanism to accelerate work in implementing the Riyadh Transitional Agreement mean?
Many observers believe that this mechanism granted the transitional political victory more than expected, as it became a legitimate party parallel to the legitimate government itself, and it has 4 ministerial portfolios, and has absolute influence in Aden by appointing one of its leaders to the position of governor.
Consequently, the transitional through this formula that was drawn out by the Saudi-Emirati coalition leaves the circle of rebellion and coup against the legitimate government, and becomes a political peer to it, which may open its appetite in the future to prune the government’s nails, and meet the desires of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates in exchange for greater empowerment.
What does the mechanism mean for the government?
After the legitimate government found itself the weakest link as a result of its decision in the hands of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates - as it happened days ago, Abdul Aziz Jabbari, Deputy Speaker of Parliament - she had no choice but to give in to pressure and accept this mechanism, which included formally the transitional declaration of its retreat from self-management, while realizing The legitimate authorities that it is difficult for the transitional to give up all its arms and parallel military formations in its possession, which it established during the past years under the so-called security belt and elite forces.
- Saleh Algabwani (@SAlgabwani) July 29, 2020
What is the government’s status after implementing this agreement?
The position of the legitimate government after the transitional authority's participation in power will not be much different from the existing status imposed by the Houthis in the north during the past years of war, and the world has come to deal with them as a fait accompli.
This mechanism may produce new political and military alliances parallel to the legitimacy in the liberated areas, and the transitional becomes a legitimate entity that has the authority, money and arms, and behind it are the Emirates that seek to use it to achieve their interests, which they did not find with the legitimate government, such as its acquisition of Yemeni ports, islands, and Yemen's oil wealth, among others. .
How successful was the implementation of the agreement mechanism on the ground?
Shows many experts, followers, and government officials against Saudi Arabia and the UAE; They are not optimistic about the success of this new mechanism, and resigned Minister of Transport, Saleh al-Jabwani, said - in a tweet to him on Twitter - that the Emirati tactic succeeded in turning the coup in Aden into a legitimate authority, and the same thing is confirmed by Advisor to the Minister of Information Mukhtar Al-Rahbi to Al-Jazeera Net, where he says that the implementation of the political split The military side makes the implementation of this agreement far-fetched.