Three separatists were killed on Friday (August 30th) in Aden, in a bombing claimed by the Islamic State Organization (IEO) in southern Yemen. The attack killed "members of the cordon of security (...) in the explosion of a motorcycle bomb in the Saad district in Aden", said the agency of propaganda of the OEI Amaq, making reference to a Yemeni separatist force.

The attack came amidst tensions between the UAE and Yemeni power, further weakening their alliance against Houthi rebels. The UAE is one of the pillars of a military coalition commanded by Saudi Arabia, supporting since 2015 the Yemeni President and Government against the rebels who have taken over vast areas of the north of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

Aden, "provisional capital"

But since the beginning of August, a new front has opened up in the midst of this war: fighting between government forces and separatists seeking independence from southern Yemen has taken control of Aden.

The government has openly accused the UAE of helping them militarily, including air raids against its troops. Aden became the "provisional capital" of power after the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014.

The separatists claimed on Thursday that they had taken Aden back from the loyalists who controlled her on Wednesday (August 30th). The separatists had conquered it for the first time on August 10th. The Emirates confirmed Friday that it had conducted airstrikes against targets in Aden this week, but said it targeted "terrorist militias" and acted in "self-defense".

>> See also: War in Yemen: Emirates say they have carried out strikes in the south of the country

Five injured in second bombing

A second attack occurred on Friday in Aden, killing five guards of a separatist military leader. Residents have reported arrests of soldiers loyal to the government.

"The fight against terrorism" was one of the causes cited by the separatists for taking control of Aden. They had previously accused the government of complicity in two attacks that left 49 dead on August 1 in their ranks.

Abu Dhabi and Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi provided two diametrically opposed versions of recent events. According to Emirati diplomacy, government forces that tried to take Aden to the separatists included "elements belonging to terrorist groups", who were targeted by Emirates raids.

Ryad accused of supporting separatists

The United Arab Emirates believes that part of President Hadi's army is made up of militants from al-Islah, a Yemeni party considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood to which Abu Dhabi is hostile. The Yemeni Vice President, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, is himself considered to be close to the Islamist movement.

For its part, Yemeni President Hadi accused in a statement the "rebel militias [separatists]" for "attacking all state institutions and military positions in Aden with the support, financing and planning of the Emirates". ". He was referring to the first conquest of Aden by the separatists on August 10th.

With AFP