Shabwa is being contested by the separatists with UAE
While both the Saudis and the UAE together with the STC are united in a coalition against the rebel Houthis who control much of the north including the capital Sanaa. The Saudis are aiming for a unified state under the internationally recognized government of Mansur Hadi. The UAE and the STC long term goal is a separate Southern Yemen as existed many years ago. This difference in goals has now manifested itself as a struggle to control different areas of the south with the STC aided by the UAE taking over the port of Aden which has been used as the capital of the Hadi government territory. Hadi lives in exile in Saudi Arabia for now. The UAE was able to push back a Saudi attempt to retake the city and together with the STC is seizing surrounding territory in Abyan and Shabwa province.
A recent article notes: “Saudi soldiers and armed vehicles arrived over the weekend in the capital of the oil-producing Shabwa province where the United Arab Emirates-backed separatists have been battling forces of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government for control, two local officials said.”
Saudis had been attempting to initiate negotiations to end infighting
However, now it would seem that the Saudis are preparing for further war. This could bring more conflict between the coalition allies and complicate the war, no doubt improving the situation for the Houthis who had already been holding their own. The Houthis who are supported by Iran ousted the Had-controlled government back in 2014.
UN reports war crimes by all parties in Yemen war[/b
A UN report details war crimes by all parties involved in the Yemen war. This includes not just the direct parties, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis but also the US, UK, France and Iran which provide support for the war.
A recent article notes: “A United Nations investigation into the civil war in Yemen found that multiple parties have repeatedly engaged in possible war crimes, including targeting civilians with airstrikes, artillery and snipers, arbitrary detentions and killings, torture, sexual violence, and impeding access to humanitarian aid. “Five years into the conflict, violations against Yemeni civilians continue unabated, with total disregard for the plight of the people and a lack of international action to hold parties to the conflict accountable,” Mr. Kamel Jendoubi, chair of the Group of Independent Eminent International and Regional Experts, said in a statement released alongside the report on Tuesday, September 3. “
