Infighting in Yemen results in separatists gaining control of Aden
A strategic alliance has buckled in Yemen.
United Arab Emirates-backed southern Yemeni separatists known as the Southern Transitional Council have reportedly seized the presidential palace and other important sites in Aden, effectively wresting control of the port city from Yemen's internationally-backed government.
The seizure prompted the Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Houthis in Yemen's civil war to call for a ceasefire, which reportedly held overnight. The Yemeni government described the seizure as "a coup against institutions of the internationally recognized government." While the government and the southern separatists are nominally allies, that partnership has begun to fracture as the two sides maintain rival agendas for Yemen's future.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The separatists reportedly believe that Islamist forces within the coalition have strengthened due to Saudi support and could take over the south, which could even allow Al Qaeda to make a comeback in the region. The separatists also believe that the larger conflict with the Houthis in the northern and western regions of the country means that Yemen can't emerge from the conflict as a unified country, no matter the outcome, BBC reports.
The infighting threatens to open a new front in Yemen's five-year civil war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country to the brink of famine.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'A great culture will be lost if the EV brigade gets its way'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published