SAUDI ARABIA AND UAE SUFFER YEMEN SETBACK AS ALLIES FALL OUT

Yemeni soldiers stand on their position on a mountain on the frontline of fighting with Houthis in Nihem area, near Sanaa, Yemen January 27, 2018.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pumped billions of dollars into fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, but the Gulf states’ three-year campaign risks being derailed after their local allies turned on each other this week.

It was a serious setback for the Saudi-led coalition whose thousands of air strikes have so far failed to deliver victory over seasoned Houthi fighters aligned with Iran.

Riyadh and its allies see victory in Yemen, where they are backed by U.S. weapons and intelligence, as vital if they are to counter Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East, a priority for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

But coalition prospects have been dimmed by an armed uprising this week by fighters in southern Yemen, who have been backed the United Arab Emirates (UAE), against government forces until now on the same side.

This comes at a time when the coalition war effort has already been running into trouble. Late last year, the coalition moved quickly to support former president Ali Abdullah Saleh when he seemed to be about to end his backing for the Houthis, but he was killed by the Houthis.

Since then, there has been no sign of a new strategy to end the war in Yemen and Saudi efforts to confront Iran in other theaters including Syria appear to be losing momentum.

The Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa appears within the grasp of pro-coalition Yemenis, who retook territory from the Houthis after they suffered their own internal struggles late last year.

But the coalition still faces formidable obstacles. From the Nehm front line 40 km (25 miles) east of Sanaa, the lights of the city are visible at night. The mountains in between are however full of snipers and landmines.

“The geography takes time (to overcome). It is hard to get supplies in and evacuations take too long,” said Major General Nasr Dhibany of the Yemeni army on a recent tour of the area.

The uprising by UAE-backed southern Yemeni separatists against forces loyal to the Saudi-based and internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi could further complicate efforts to dislodge the Houthis from Sanaa.

Experts say Saudi Arabia and the UAE will need to think again if strains persist between their local allies.

“Many key powers had thought it could somehow just shelve the political grievances among its allies, focus on the fight against the Houthis and everything would work itself out,” said Adam Baron of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“This shows the folly of that thinking. Without a large-scale political solution, Yemen’s conflict will always develop new tentacles.”

With U.N.-mediated peace talks stalled for over a year, both the Houthis and the coalition-backed government are still hoping to win by force, even as their local alliances unravel. 

Source:  Reuters