Saudi committee fails to defuse conflict between “Hadi forces and STC militias in Abyan

ABYAN, Jan. 13 (YPA) – Saudi mediation committee failed to convince the UAE-backed security belt forces to retreat from the new areas they recently took control of in Abyan province, informed sources reported on Monday.
According to the sources, the Saudi committee, which arrived on Monday in Abyan province, was surprised by the intransigent positions of both sides in dispute.
The sources added, that the representatives of the two conflicting sides doubled their conditions to carry out any withdrawals, according to the military attaché of the “Riyadh Agreement”.

Moreover, the sources explained that the recent confrontations in which the STC militias managed to expel the Hadi forces the area of “Yarams” in Abyan, created a state of intransigence on both sides, which contributed to make the situation more complex for the Saudi Committee.
The same sources indicated that both the STC and Islah party militias show a lack of confidence in the ability of the Saudi side to ensure that the other is obliged to implement any agreement.
Furthermore, the sources said that the Saudi committee is still making attempts to defuse the escalating crisis between transitional and Islah, despite the hardline positions that the committee encountered when it arrived in Shaqra city this morning.
While the Islah and and transitional groups continue to send reinforcements to the Shaqra area in preparation for a decisive confrontation.
Earlier time, the UAE warplanes launched several raids on positions belonging to the “Hadi” forces in The Bayhan area of Shabwah province, in order to prevent the arrival of reinforcements sent by the “Islah” forces from Marib to Abyan.
E.M