The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Monday announced forming a joint Saudi-UAE committee to oversee the ceasefire between the Southern Transitional Council and the government forces in Shabwa and Abyan governorates, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
“Internal dialogue, not infighting, is the only way to resolve Yemen’s internal differences,” Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Khaled Bin Salman tweeted on Monday.
He added that his country is working with the UAE to achieve security and stability in Aden, Shabwa, and Abyan, as well as all Yemen.
Two weeks ago, the southern separatists seized Aden, stirring tension within the Saudi-led military alliance to counter the Iranian-backed Houthi movement. The separatists controlled also Abyan in a move that also ignited old conflicts between the two Yemeni parts that were united in 1990.
At the end of last week, the Yemeni army backed by Saudi-led coalition took control over the city of Etq, the capital of oil-rich Shabwa region.
In a statement on Monday, foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE called all parties involved in the conflict in Shabwa to cooperate with the committee to ceasefire and end conflict.
Moreover, the Saudi-led coalition announced shooting down two Houthi drones that were on their way to the Saudi territories.
Conflict in Yemen has erupted in September 2014, when the Ansar Allah group “Houthi” backed by Iran, seized control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Following the Houthi action, Saudi Arabia the closest regional power to Yemen, announced forming the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen in March 2015.
