News - Yemen: The head of the National Salvation Government, Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor, confirmed that the separation project is a British one funded by the UAE currently, and implemented by mercenaries, adding that Sana’a will never accept any foreign project that is marketed through mercenaries.

In a statement to Almasirah, Sunday, Bin Habtoor said: "The naming of (the north and the south) is British occupational descriptions, with malicious intent," pointing out that they do not exist in Yemeni history or identity.

He added, "When the political dialogue begins after the departure of the foreign forces, the great national interest, grievances and rights will be discussed within the framework of unity."

The head of the Salvation Government stressed that the Yemeni unity is a popular achievement and belongs to the Yemeni People, stressing that it "will not be subject to the mood of any political party, neither mercenaries representing the occupier."

Earlier, President Mahdi Al-Mashat indicated that the 33rd anniversary of the blessed Yemeni Unity comes at a time when the country is exposed to plots and suspicious projects that seek to undermine it by further dismantling and tearing.

New scenarios are being taken by the head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) Aidarous al-Zubaidi as part of his attempts to control Hadramout governorate, and include it in the secession project, which has flourished remarkably recently in southern Yemen. He attempts to drag the tribes in this governorate into the ranks of the separatist scheme through negotiation with the Hadramout tribes.

Al-Zubaidi’s attempts to strengthen his position in this province appeared through his speech, in which he emphasized “the great importance that the province represents in the southern project, due to its historical and cultural heritage, and its competencies capable of contributing effectively to shaping the future of generations.” 

The maritime objectives of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war have played an essential role in determining the conflict’s direction. The military aggression by a Saudi-led coalition in March 2015 sought to defeat Ansarullah and restore the retired president Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi. Saudi and Emirati officials sought to control vital waterways, leading to their investment in ports and military bases in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

For many years, the oil-rich Hadramout governorate, southeast of Yemen, remained far from the war, with the exception of al-Qaeda's temporary control of the city of Mukalla, which ended with a sudden withdrawal after the entry of UAE forces in 2016.

In light of this, from 2018 onward the UAE began recalibrating its strategy, advancing its own interests ahead of those of the coalition. Its primary aims were to control Yemen’s coastlines and shipping lanes and implement a “string of ports” strategy. However, this process led to rivalry between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi as their interests in Yemen diverged.

The UAE took control of key southern ports and the regions around them, pushing them to advance a southern separatist project. Yet Saudi Arabia saw this strategy weaken its own main ally, the Saudi-backed government, leading to a breakdown in the coalition.

Now both the Emirates and Saudi Arabia are mobilizing their tools to Hadramout. The STC flocks to the province in conjunction with the end of a consultative conference of components in Hadramout, which opposes any tendencies of the STC.