UAE official: withdrawing some troops linked to al-Hodeida and in coordination with Saudi Arabia
English - Wednesday 10 July 2019 الساعة 09:51 am
Al-Hodeida / Mocha – NewsYemen.net
A UAE official said on Monday that the UAE has recently withdrawn some of its troops in Yemen in a plan that have been decided more than a year in coordination with Saudi Arabia. He ruled out any vacuum in Yemen.
The UAE official made clear that the debate lasted more than a year and increased after signing the Stockholm agreement as well as the announcement of ceasefire in al-Hodeida in particular.
The UAE said earlier, according to Reuters, that the re-movement of some of the forces will not create a vacuum in Yemen. The agency said the UAE would reduce its military presence because of security threats resulting from increased tension between the United States and Iran.
The UAE has withdrawn some of its troops from areas including the southern port of Aden and the western coast, but says it remains committed to the internationally recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
The UAE official said on Monday July 8, 2019, which declined to be named, said the decision to reduce the forces was not born at the moment, and was discussed with Riyadh.
"Our discussion of our redeployment lasted more than a year and the (debate) increased after the signing of the Stockholm agreement in December," he told Reuters in Dubai.
The official said the coastal city of al-Hodeida was the most affected by the decision because of a ceasefire under a peace deal reached last year in Sweden under the auspices of the United Nations to pave the way for talks in order to end the war.
Under the deal, which has not been implemented since last December, the Houthis should have withdrawn from the city of al-Hodeida and its three main ports, in conjunction with the retreat of allied forces loyal to the Coalition from liberated areas of the city.
The moves and pressures of the US, British and UN halted the liberation of the rest of al-Hodeida city by forces backed Coalition forces late last year.
