Saudi Arabia Issues Ultimatum to UAE Over Yemen Conflict

In an unprecedented escalation of tensions between former allies, Saudi Arabia has demanded that the United Arab Emirates withdraw all military forces from Yemen within 24 hours, marking a dramatic rupture in the coalition that has waged war in Yemen since 2015. The crisis emerged following violent clashes between Saudi-backed government forces and UAE-backed separatist militias over control of strategically vital oil-producing regions in occupied southern Yemen.

The immediate catalyst for the confrontation was the arrival of weapons shipments from the UAE port of Fujairah to the Yemeni port of Mukalla, which Saudi coalition forces subsequently bombed. Riyadh accused Abu Dhabi of arming the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist faction seeking autonomy for southern Yemen, without proper authorization from coalition command.

Oil and Territory: The Real Stakes

The conflict between these ostensible partners has exposed the colonial-style competition over Yemen’s natural resources that has characterized the illegal military intervention from its inception. The STC, backed by Emirati forces, has consolidated control over oil-rich Hadramaut and Al-Mahrah provinces, directly challenging Saudi Arabia’s preferred proxy government and its strategic interests in Yemen’s energy sector.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry characterized UAE actions as creating pressure on STC forces to conduct military operations in Hadramaut and Al-Mahrah provinces near the southern border, describing this as a direct threat to the kingdom’s national security. The statement revealed that two ships carrying weapons and heavy vehicles arrived from Fujairah port at Mukalla port without obtaining official approvals from the joint coalition forces command.

In response, the UAE rejected Saudi accusations as containing fundamental fallacies and called the charge that it directed any Yemeni party to conduct military operations against Saudi security absurd. This sharp exchange of statements between the two Gulf monarchies represents an extraordinary public rupture in their regional alliance.

A Decade of Illegal Occupation and Humanitarian Catastrophe

The current fratricidal conflict between occupation forces occurs against the backdrop of nearly a decade of devastating illegal military intervention in Yemen. Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and the UAE led a coalition of primarily Middle Eastern and North African states in military intervention in Yemen, subjecting the country to airstrikes and a full sea, land and air blockade, supported politically and militarily by the United States, United Kingdom and other Western powers.

The war has caused more than 375,000 deaths, most due to hunger resulting from the Saudi-led naval blockade, along with widespread destruction of Yemen’s infrastructure. This makes Yemen one of the deadliest modern conflicts, with Western powers bearing direct complicity through their provision of weapons, intelligence, and logistical support to the Saudi-led coalition.

The humanitarian toll is staggering. More than 18.2 million people in Yemen, over half the population, are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection services as of March 2025. Additionally, more than 17 million Yemenis are food insecure, including 5.1 million people with acute food insecurity, while over 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

The conflict has driven more than 4.5 million people from their homes, creating one of the world’s largest displacement crises. The 2024 rainy season brought additional devastation, with unprecedented flooding affecting 100,000 families and severely exacerbating existing shelter, infrastructure and protection needs.

Western Complicity and International Inaction

The Saudi-UAE military campaign has been enabled by substantial Western support. US and UK involvement has run particularly deep, with both providing weapons, intelligence and logistical support, as well as maintaining military presence at the Saudi command and control center. The Yemen Data Project has documented over 25,000 airstrikes by the coalition between 2015 and 2022.

Despite overwhelming evidence of severe humanitarian consequences, with airstrikes frequently hitting civilian targets including medical facilities, schools, and markets, the United Nations has failed to take meaningful action to halt the aggression or impose accountability on the perpetrators. Approximately 90 percent of all airstrikes against civilian targets and related fatalities occurred between 2015 and 2018, yet international mechanisms for protection of civilians have proven entirely inadequate.

The blockade imposed by Saudi-led forces has been particularly devastating. The blockade has exacerbated the plight of the Yemeni population, preventing the entry of fuel, medicine, and other essential goods into the country, with UN experts stating that the Coalition may have been responsible for war crimes due to their failure to protect Yemeni civilians.

Children Bear the Heaviest Burden

The conflict’s impact on children has been catastrophic. According to UNICEF, one in two children under the age of five are malnourished in Yemen. Educational opportunities have collapsed, with more than 2.5 million children out of school or not attending, and 8.6 million school-aged children needing education assistance. Many children have been forced to abandon education to support families or due to shortages of schools at displacement sites.

Landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to be a major cause of civilian casualties. Between August 2023 and July 2024, 79 mine incidents killed 49 people and injured 66 others, including children.

Obstructed Humanitarian Operations

Even as humanitarian needs have escalated, warring parties, especially the Houthis, have arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared dozens of staff of United Nations agencies and civil society organizations since May 31, 2024. Houthi obstructions of humanitarian operations and information blackouts within their territories have exacerbated the cholera outbreak that spread across the country, claiming 258 deaths among 95,000 suspected cases.

Dividing the Spoils While Millions Suffer

The current Saudi-UAE confrontation reveals the fundamentally predatory nature of their intervention in Yemen. Rather than any genuine concern for Yemeni sovereignty or welfare, both powers have pursued competing agendas for regional dominance and control over strategic assets. Saudi Arabia has largely been concerned with securing its border and supporting the internationally recognized government, while the UAE has focused on containing extremist groups, securing commercial interests, and consolidating local alliances.

The escalation between former coalition partners has introduced new uncertainty into an already complex conflict. Saudi Arabia issued an ultimatum demanding UAE forces withdraw within 24 hours and halt all military and financial support to any party inside Yemen, while simultaneously characterizing UAE actions and the advance of separatist forces as a direct threat to Saudi national security.

Yemen’s suffering continues unabated as external powers fight over the division of its territory and resources. The international community’s failure to intervene effectively or impose accountability on the aggressors has allowed this humanitarian catastrophe to persist for nearly a decade, with no end in sight as the occupying forces now turn their weapons on each other in pursuit of greater shares of Yemen’s wealth.