Saudi Arabia urges Yemen separatists to depart two areasAP, DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesSaudi Arabia yesterday formally called on United Arab Emirites (UAE)-backed separatists in Yemen to withdraw from two governorates that their forces control in the country, a move that threatens sparking a confrontation within a fragile coalition battling the Houthi rebels. The statement from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeared aimed at putting public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council, a force long backed by the UAE. Saudi Arabia has backed other fighters within Yemen, including the National Shield Forces, in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis that the kingdom launched in 2015. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967 to 1990. There were calls for demonstrations yesterday in Aden to support political forces wanting South Yemen to again secede from Yemen, but it was not immediately clear if they would go ahead given Saudi Arabia’s announcement.

Source: Taipei Times December 25, 2025 16:50 UTC