How long will the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen against the Houthis hold? Committed since 2015 to restore President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi to power, the UAE is now accused by the Yemeni government in exile of helping the separatists in Aden face government forces.
Since early August, a new front has indeed opened: fighting between government forces and separatists wanting the independence of southern Yemen, who have taken control of Aden, became "provisional capital" of power after the taken from Sanaa by the Houthis in 2014.
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The Emirates confirmed Friday (August 30th) that it had conducted airstrikes against targets in Aden last week, but said it targeted "terrorist militias" and acted in "self-defense". For its part, the Yemeni government on Friday rejected "the false justifications given by the United Arab Emirates to conceal their blatant attacks against the national armed forces" and calls on Saudi Arabia to keep the coalition united.
According to Gilles Gauthier, former French ambassador to Yemen interviewed by France 24, the current situation in Aden is in fact the consequence of the different objectives pursued since the beginning of the conflict by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
France 24: The United Arab Emirates is one of the pillars of the military coalition commanded by Saudi Arabia, which has been supporting the Yemeni government since 2015 against the Houthis. Why do they engage with the separatists in the Battle of Aden ?
Gilles Gauthier: They are committed because the Saudis and Emiratis have never had the same goal in Yemen. When the coalition was set up to counter the advance of the Houthis, there was a common front with, in theory, the will to restore the legitimate government. But in reality, these two neighboring countries of Yemen pursue two very different agendas: Saudi Arabia, trying to crush the Houthis, wants to assert itself as the regional power against Iran; the United Arab Emirates, for its part, is pursuing a territorial objective and wants to cut Yemen in two to find the map of the reunification of 1990, with Yemen North and Yemen South.
What was the strategy of the United Arab Emirates to do this ?
The Emiratis let the Saudis take care of northern Yemen and focused their own efforts in the south of the country. It is a region where there was already an autonomist tendency among a large part of the population who did not accept reunification and where there are Islamist terrorists, which adds to the complexity of the balance of power. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Emirates have been supporting the separatists in a more or less discrete way, but in any case with great efficiency. Unlike the Saudis who are content, north, with air strikes, the Emirati have sent troops to the ground. And it works: their goal is almost achieved since southern Yemen is now more or less under the control of the Emirates.
Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who lives in exile in Riyadh, has called on Saudi Arabia to intervene, but the Saudis have not reacted. Why ?
Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman wanted to assert his power by crushing Yemen, but he is now embarrassed. How to get out of a war when you have not won it? It's difficult. Saudi Arabia does not have the military means to get angry with the United Arab Emirates, so they are forced to discuss, to try to find a diplomatic solution. Riyadh has proposed a dialogue between the two camps from the beginning of the clashes in Aden on August 10, but no discussion has taken place since.
What is surprising is that the international community does not enjoy a moment like this. At present, everyone is bothered: the Saudis lose face, the Houthis know they will not win back Yemen, the government loses a bit of ground every day. There is currently a real opportunity to solve the situation in Yemen by bringing everyone together around a table.