The governor of the Yemeni governorate of Shabwa, Muhammad Saleh bin Adyo, said that the United Arab Emirates refuses to leave the port of Balhaf in southern Yemen, which it seized years ago.
The Yemeni official denied the existence of any discussions between the local authorities of the governorate and the Emiratis in this regard.
In an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik, Muhammad Saleh bin Adiyo said that "trust is lost with the Emiratis," noting that "they did not know their names, and they are people who carry only nicknames, such as Abu Muhammad or Abu Ahmed."
He added that "the local authorities cannot enter the port," and that "there are about 100 Emiratis guarding it, in addition to Sudanese and Bahrainis, but in small numbers."
"The UAE created anti-state militias in Yemen and pays the salaries of 90,000 mercenaries per month," he said.
He considered that the Yemeni authority "is interested in the issue of fighting the Houthi coup, as it is the most dangerous, but the problems that the UAE has brought us in the liberated areas is no less dangerous than the coup carried out by the Houthi."