Yemeni security sources told Al-Jazeera that the UAE has recruited dozens of Yemenis and trained them in batches to participate in the fighting in Libya alongside the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar, and against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord.
The sources added that batches of Yemeni recruits who were trained at a military base in Lahj (southern Yemen) left for Libya, confirming that some of the recruits received training at the Emirates' Assab base in Eritrea.
She stated that the recruits were chosen from several regions in southern Yemen, including Al-Dhalea Governorate, Yafa'a District and Radfan, and said that another group would be launched from Aden, the temporary capital of the country.
The sources confirmed that these mercenaries were promised with remunerative salaries by the authorities in Abu Dhabi, stressing that the Yemeni authorities - including the presidency - are aware of these details, and have not moved a finger on what the UAE is doing.
A UN report reported last April about air movement to transport mercenaries from Russia and Syria to participate in the fighting alongside Haftar's forces, with the support of the UAE.