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AFP
Aden
The head of Yemen’s separatist movement said he was ready to take part in Saudi-brokered peace talks after clashes with pro-government forces killed dozens in second city Aden. Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, who met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Monday, also backed Riyadh’s call for dialogue.
The fighting in Yemen’s southern port city pitted Saudi-backed government forces against the UAE-trained Security Belt Force, both of which have been fighting Huthi rebels who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
While the two sides are technically supported by a Saudi and Emirati-dominated military coalition, the Security Belt is largely made up of fighters who oppose President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and seek an independent south Yemen.
Last week the separatists seized army bases and a presidential palace in temporary capital Aden, prompting the government to accuse the UAE of backing a “coup”.
The chief of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the bulk of Security Belt fighters, said late Sunday he was committed to a ceasefire in Aden.
Aidarus al-Zubaidi said last week’s violence had been provoked by Hadi’s forces, who planned to assassinate the movement’s leaders then “provoke our people and liquidate our presence”.
That left separatist fighters with “only two options: either self-defence, or surrender and accepting the liquidation of our just cause,” Zubaidi said, according to an English translation of his televised speech posted on the STC website.
Yemen’s government has accused the STC and the UAE of staging a “coup” against it.
But Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan said on Monday that dialogue was “the only way to resolve differences between Yemenis”.
In a statement carried by the Emirates’ WAM news agency, the crown prince during his brief visit backed a Saudi call for an urgent meeting between the warring parties, saying it “embodies the common concern for Yemen’s stability”.
Aden
The head of Yemen’s separatist movement said he was ready to take part in Saudi-brokered peace talks after clashes with pro-government forces killed dozens in second city Aden. Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, who met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Monday, also backed Riyadh’s call for dialogue.
The fighting in Yemen’s southern port city pitted Saudi-backed government forces against the UAE-trained Security Belt Force, both of which have been fighting Huthi rebels who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
While the two sides are technically supported by a Saudi and Emirati-dominated military coalition, the Security Belt is largely made up of fighters who oppose President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and seek an independent south Yemen.
Last week the separatists seized army bases and a presidential palace in temporary capital Aden, prompting the government to accuse the UAE of backing a “coup”.
The chief of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the bulk of Security Belt fighters, said late Sunday he was committed to a ceasefire in Aden.
Aidarus al-Zubaidi said last week’s violence had been provoked by Hadi’s forces, who planned to assassinate the movement’s leaders then “provoke our people and liquidate our presence”.
That left separatist fighters with “only two options: either self-defence, or surrender and accepting the liquidation of our just cause,” Zubaidi said, according to an English translation of his televised speech posted on the STC website.
Yemen’s government has accused the STC and the UAE of staging a “coup” against it.
But Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan said on Monday that dialogue was “the only way to resolve differences between Yemenis”.
In a statement carried by the Emirates’ WAM news agency, the crown prince during his brief visit backed a Saudi call for an urgent meeting between the warring parties, saying it “embodies the common concern for Yemen’s stability”.
