UAE-backed Yemen separatists call for referendum amid fighting over key region

Dubai,UPDATED: Jan 3, 2026 07:34 IST

Yemen's southern separatist movement said on Friday it aimed to hold a referendum on independence from the north in two years, as Saudi-backed forces fought to recapture areas the separatists seized last month in a move that triggered a major feud between Gulf powers.

The statement by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council was the clearest indication yet of its intention to secede, but may be seen by Yemen's internationally recognised government and its Saudi backers as an escalation of the crisis.

It came hours after the government said it had launched an operation to recapture the crucial Hadramout province, one of the main areas seized by the STC last month, with Saudi military support.

MAJOR POWER SHIFT

The surprise advance by the separatists in early December shifted power in Yemen, which has been at war for more than a decade, fracturing the coalition against the Houthis and laying bare divisions between Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Yemen has been split for years between the northern highlands, held by the Iran-backed Houthi group, and forces, including the southern separatists that are supported by Gulf states under the internationally recognised government.

Once the twin pillars of regional security, OPEC members Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have in recent years seen their interests diverge on issues ranging from oil quotas to geopolitics.

Neither the internationally backed government nor Saudi Arabian officials could immediately be reached for comment on the STC statement.

Saba news agency reported early on Saturday that Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Saudi-backed presidential council, has submitted a request to Saudi Arabia to host a forum aimed at resolving the southern issue.

Al-Alimi said he hoped the forum would bring together all southern factions "without distinction," including the UAE-backed southern separatist movement.

The request comes after a number of southern political factions and figures urged Al-Alimi to submit a request to Riyadh to host a forum after they condemned what they described as "unilateral measures" on the southern issue by STC leader Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry welcomed the request, calling on southern factions to participate in the planned forum.

On Friday, the Hadramout governor under the internationally recognised government said he had launched an operation to restore control over the area, later saying his forces had taken control of a key military base.

A local Saudi-backed tribal group and the STC both said the operation had been backed by airstrikes.

A spokesperson for the STC, Mohammed al-Naqeeb, said its forces were on full alert across the region and warned that it was ready to respond forcefully.

Oil-producing Hadramout borders Saudi Arabia and many prominent Saudis trace their origins to the province, lending it cultural and historical significance for the kingdom. Its capture by the STC last month was regarded by the Saudis as a threat.

Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the airstrikes and it was unclear if there were any casualties.

The UAE, without directly addressing Friday's developments, said the country had approached the recent escalation with restraint, coordination and a deliberate commitment to de-escalation.

TENSIONS REMAIN AFTER UAE TROOP PULLOUT

The UAE last week said it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen, after Saudi Arabia backed a call for its forces to leave within 24 hours in one of the biggest disagreements between the two Gulf oil powers to play out in public.

The move briefly eased tensions, but disagreements between the various groups on the ground in Yemen have persisted.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both major players in the OPEC oil exporters' group, and any disagreements between them could hamper consensus on oil output.

They and six other OPEC+ members meet online on Sunday, and OPEC+ delegates have said they will extend a policy of maintaining first-quarter production unchanged.

Meanwhile, flights remain halted at Aden international airport, the main gateway for regions of the country outside Houthi control, as the STC and Saudi Arabia traded blame as to who was responsible for the air traffic shutdown.

The stoppage was linked to new restrictions by the internationally recognised government on flights between Aden and the UAE, though there were contradictory accounts of who had ordered a halt to all air traffic.

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