Riyadh has demanded that UAE-backed separatists withdraw troops from two Yemeni provinces

“The Kingdom emphasizes the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni movements. It is necessary to exercise restraint and avoid actions that threaten security and stability and could lead to undesirable consequences,” the statement said.

The Southern Transitional Council is supported by the United Arab Emirates, while Yemen’s internationally recognized government is supported by Saudi Arabia. They are fighting together against the Iran-backed Houthis.

The split in the Sunni coalition is a strategic defeat for Saudi Arabia, which led a foreign intervention in 2015 to prevent the entire country from falling under Houthi rule. In essence, we are talking about the disintegration of Yemen into two separate territorial units. From 1967 to 1990, South Yemen was a separate state.