UAE Announces Full Withdrawal of Forces from Yemen Amid Political Shifts
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the UAE Ministry of Defense has officially announced the full withdrawal of its armed forces from the Republic of Yemen. The move comes as part of a recent decision to end the remaining counterterrorism mission and aligns with international coordination efforts.
Earlier this week, the ministry declared the conclusion of its counterterrorism operations in Yemen, coinciding with rapid political and security developments in the country. On the same day, Rashad Al-Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, canceled the mutual defense agreement with the UAE, leading to the complete withdrawal of Emirati forces within 24 hours.
Al-Alimi also imposed a 90-day renewable state of emergency to counter what he described as ‘efforts to divide the Republic.’ Meanwhile, the Saudi-led Arab coalition announced on Tuesday that it had targeted military equipment and vehicles transferred from the UAE’s Fujairah port to Yemen’s Al-Mukalla port in airstrikes.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry emphasized that its national security is a ‘red line,’ warning that any threats along its southern borders would be met with decisive action. Riyadh further accused the UAE of inciting the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to conduct military operations in Yemen’s Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra provinces—a claim denied by the UAE, which reaffirmed its commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security.
Since early December, STC forces have taken control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra, two provinces covering nearly half of Yemen’s territory. The move has faced widespread domestic, regional, and international opposition. Ahmed Saeed bin Brik, deputy head of the STC, stated that the ‘declaration of a Southern Arab state is closer than ever.’
The STC alleges that successive Yemeni governments have marginalized the southern regions politically and economically, advocating for the separation of the south from the north—a claim rejected by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which insists on preserving national unity. Yemen was unified in 1990 when the Yemen Arab Republic (North) and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South) merged to form the Republic of Yemen.
