A new round of confrontation between the Southern Transitional and the Muslim Brotherhood
English - Wednesday 21 April 2021 الساعة 12:24 am
Aden, NewsYemen:
Yemeni political sources have warned of the escalation of tension between the Southern Transitional Council and influential parties in the Yemeni government, led by the Brotherhood's Islah Party, which may threaten an upcoming confrontation in light of the state of political tension and the departure of most of the government ministers emerging from the Riyadh Agreement for the interim Yemeni capital, Aden.
The sources indicated the presence of Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and a number of his ministers in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for undeclared reasons, since the popular demonstrations that reached the government’s residence in Maasheq Palace in Aden to protest against the deterioration of services.
The sources considered that the government's stay in Riyadh may be a continuation of the approach of pressure on the Transitional Council under the pretext of implementing the military and security part of the Riyadh Agreement, in which the government and the Council exchange accusations about evading its implementation.
In the past few days, separate areas of Ahwar district in Abyan Governorate (east of Aden) have witnessed sporadic clashes between forces affiliated with the Yemeni government and others affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council against the background of government forces seeking to impose their control and expel forces affiliated with the Council.
Informed sources revealed to "Al-Arab" that the Transitional Council and the government had sent military reinforcements during the past hours to the Ahwar region, which could turn into a new theater for confrontations between the government and the Transitional Council.
The state of tension escalated after a Yemeni army officer kidnapped Abdel Moneim Sheikh, the brother of Abdul-Moneim Sheikh, a member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council.
A statement issued by the commission called for his release without any conditions, and for the perpetrators of this operation to be brought to legal accountability.
In Shabwa governorate, security forces affiliated with the local authority, which is dominated by the Islah party, arrested a leader in the Transitional Council and prevented an event to distribute an iftar meal in the governorate.
Observers confirm that the escalation of political and security tension between the Transitional Council and influential parties in the Yemeni government opposing the Riyadh agreement is an indication of the return of confrontations between the two parties, in light of the continuing military clashes and the failure to complete the implementation of the military and security part of the agreement.
Statements by Ahmed Al-Maysari, the former Minister of Interior in the Yemeni government and one of the most prominent opponents of the Riyadh Agreement, revealed that the opponents of the Transitional Council adopted a long-term policy to limit and weaken the Council by besieging it with internal crises before attacking it militarily by the forces that are mobilized in the vicinity of Aden with Qatari funding.
The Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council had warned on the tenth of April of what it called "the continuous attacks by the terrorist Brotherhood militia against the Security Belt Forces in Abyan."
It said that it stopped in the face of “the continuous attacks by the terrorist Brotherhood militia against the Security Belt Forces in the Ahwar district, and the Al-Marshaqa in the Khanfar district With the aim of imposing a new reality on the ground in the interest of the terrorist forces and enabling them to move and freely access the coast and other areas, to explode the situation and shuffle the cards, in blatant defiance of the Riyadh Agreement, and the calm efforts aimed at creating the conditions for the comprehensive settlement process.
The meeting of the Transitional Commission, according to media sources affiliated with the Council, touched on “the innovations, mobilization and recruitment processes taking place in the Tor al-Baha front in the Lahj governorate, the creation of camps and the opening of roads in favor of the Brotherhood militia, according to suspicious agendas and illegal actions, within the plan to declare war on the south, and the efforts of the Arab coalition. And the international community and the requirements of the necessary political solution.
A member of the Presidium of the Southern Transitional Council, Salem Thabet Al-Awlaqi, warned earlier that a new round of war in southern Yemen would be prepared by the Muslim Brotherhood.
He wrote in a tweet on Twitter, "The brothers in Saudi Arabia made a determined effort to accomplish the Riyadh agreement, but it is noticeable that the agreement has reached the highest levels of fragility (...) the brotherhood of Yemen are preparing for a new war in the south to complicate the already complex scene, and deterring them is a duty."
Observers believe that the obligations of the Transitional Council towards its pledges signed in the Riyadh Agreement and its participation in the government emanating from the agreement, restricted its movements and controlled the rhythm of its political and military reactions, which left a suitable margin for the movements of the section that is not committed to the Riyadh Agreement within the "legitimacy" and that moves in the path of It is separate from any political obligations of the government or coalition.
According to informed political sources, some parties opposing the Riyadh agreement and opposing the transitional council are systematically participating in creating security crises, exacerbating the deterioration of services in Aden and the liberated southern governorates and obstructing the disbursement of salaries, with the aim of pushing the situation in the areas controlled by the transitional to the edge of the abyss.
This deliberate aggravation of the situation in Aden and the southern governorates coincides with the media shedding light on the reality of those areas and holding the transitional responsible, at a time when the council is reminded of its political commitments and co-opting some of its leaders and ministers with power, influence and money.
This coincides with efforts to create security flashpoints in and around Aden, with the accumulation of more military forces in preparation for the ripening of appropriate conditions that allow the repetition of the attempts to invade the city that failed in previous times.
The data indicate that the Transitional Council’s opponents are betting on a change in the popular mood in the cities it controls, especially Aden, due to the deterioration of the living and security situation, which will push its residents to accept any alternative option that guarantees them the minimum necessities of life, such as restoring basic services and paying salaries.
* "Al-Arab" newspaper of London
