Yemen's African connection
Amid the withholding of the details of the Emirati death toll in Yemen, African soldiers are set to step up their role in Operation Restoring Hope.
When three Emirati soldiers were killed in the Gulf Cooperation Council-led Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen last month, their bodies were flown home with great fanfare and their names were proudly announced in local media.
Yet, over a week after a Houthi missile strike east of the Yemeni capital claimed the lives of 60 GCC soldiers, including 45 members of the Emirati military — the most deadly blow to the UAE armed forces in its history — details of the latest deaths remain murky.
It was announced that squares, memorials, a mosque, postage stamps and even a museum would be dedicated to the “martyrs,” with plans for this museum to house an archive that would “document the records of each soldier, including their biography.” Yet, Emirati authorities are simultaneously cracking down on the sharing of a list of the purported names of some deceased soldiers on social media.
The state-owned The National has called this list “false,” and quoted the Abu Dhabi attorney general as saying that anyone who starts a rumor or spreads false information, or any information that aims to “weaken the moral spirit of the people,” will be prosecuted. It has also reported that the public prosecution office in Abu Dhabi has ordered the arrest of a person who published the above-mentioned list.
