CAIRO (AP) — The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen warned Saturday that it would respond immediately to any military action by United Arab Emirates-backed separatists that undermines de-escalation efforts in southern Yemen, as the United States presses for diplomacy.
“Any military action that violates these efforts will be dealt with immediately and directly to protect civilian lives and ensure the successful restoration of calm,” Brigadier General said, according to coalition spokesman General Turki al-Maliki, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Maliki also accused the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) of “grave and horrific human rights violations against civilians” without providing evidence.
The move comes a day after separatists accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out air strikes on its forces, but the kingdom has not officially acknowledged this, and its relations with the UAE have been strained by the strategic committee’s action.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Saturday that the United States was “concerned about recent events in southeastern Yemen” and urged restraint and diplomacy to reach a “durable solution.” He also expressed gratitude “for the diplomatic leadership of our partners, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
Yemen has been mired in more than a decade of civil war, with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels controlling much of the north and a Saudi- and UAE-backed coalition backing the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE has also helped southern separatists call for South Yemen to secede again.
The committee entered Yemen’s Hadramawt and Mahra governorates earlier this month, seizing an oil-rich region. That led to the expulsion of units affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield, another group allied with the coalition fighting the Houthis.
The coalition is now demanding that STC troops be withdrawn from the two provinces, with local authorities returning to supervise them and their military camps handed over.
Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, the internationally recognized government governing body, said after an emergency meeting on Friday night that the actions of the Yemeni armed forces constituted “a serious violation of civilians.”
The alliance said in a statement on Saturday that it was acting at Alimi’s request to protect civilians in Hadramaut.
The Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen said on Saturday that it was closely following the developments in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and once again called on all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate the situation, engage in dialogue, and avoid further escalation of the situation.
