Abduction of Salafi officer in Aden sparks “proxy war” between UAE, Saudi Arabia in southern Yemen
ADEN, Dec. 15 (YPA) -Armed elements affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the city of Aden abducted a Salafi officer from outside his home and took him to an unknown location.
The incident is being described as a reflection of the hidden struggle between Salafi movements loyal to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in southern Yemen.
Human rights sources familiar with the matter reported that the Dar Saad Police Director, Musleh Al-Dhrahani, kidnapped Ali Ahmed Hadi Al-Saqri, an officer in the Security Belt factions in the Al-Sha’ab area, on Saturday evening from outside his home in the Al-Mamdara area.
The sources clarified that the armed elements boarding military vehicles abducted Al-Saqri, who works in the financial sector of the Security Belt camp, in a humiliating manner and took him to an unknown destination.
Al-Saqri is considered one of the Salafi officers close to Mohsen al-Wali, the commander of the Support and Backup Brigades
Southern observers and activists view the kidnapping of Salafi officer Al-Saqri in Aden as more than just an isolated security incident. They see it as the first spark that could ignite broader confrontations between Salafi elements in Aden and the rest of Yemen’s southern and eastern regions.
The incident exposes deep-seated conflicts among the Salafi groups loyal to the Saudi-led coalition. These conflicts may be driven by agendas serving a “US-Zionist project” in Yemen, particularly following reports last week by The Times (UK) confirming that an STC delegation met with Israeli intelligence officials.
The Emirati-Saudi conflict has been clearly reflected on the ground following the UAE-backed factions’ takeover of the districts of Wadi Hadramout and Mahra—where the Saudi-backed ” Dera Al-Watan”, Salafi factions are deployed.
The Salafi factions loyal to each side have recently found themselves in a state of renewed rivalry and alignment with their respective financial backers.
The schism even affects the Saudi-backed factions after the UAE-funded Al-Amaliqa Brigades participated in operations to take control of Hadramout and Mahra. This has led to a state of tension and friction, creating a highly volatile security environment since the beginning of December.
These tensions are escalating further after the recent withdrawal of Saudi-backed forces from Aden and their redeployment to the oil-rich Hadramout Governorate.
This move is seen as a repositioning of forces and preparation for potential confrontation, raising expectations of bloody proxy wars between these extremist factions.
These groups periodically issue fatwas against anyone who opposes them or stands against the regional projects of their backers (Saudi Arabia and the UAE).
These developments have pushed the security scene in southern and eastern Yemen to the edge of a dangerous abyss. Direct military clashes between UAE- and Saudi-loyal factions appear imminent, threatening to drastically worsen conditions for civilians in these tinderbox regions.
@E.Y.M