The UAE still has military ambitions in Yemen despite ‘withdrawal’

The United Arab Emirates once again claimed it was withdrawing from Yemen on Oct. 30, pulling its troops from Aden prior to a peace deal signed on Nov. 5, to unify the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). Yet this represents a pragmatic PR move, considering Abu Dhabi still supports militias elsewhere in the south, as it seeks to gain influence in the country. 

"The handover of Aden to the Saudi and Yemeni forces was carried out responsibly and in accordance with a systematic military strategy and was completed successfully," the UAE Armed Forces Command said in a statement, which would indicate a full drawdown.

It further states that Emirati forces "liberated the city of Aden from the Houthis and terrorist organizations on July 17, 2015."

Though Abu Dhabi claimed to defeat enemy forces in Aden early in the war, Emirati-backed militias retained a presence after capturing the city. This was until the recent unification deal in October 2019, which demanded the scaling down of their presence there. Fighting had originally erupted between separatists and government forces following the STC’s coup in Aden in August, which quickly spread to other southern regions.