Saudi Arabia urges dialogue between Yemeni factions after clashes in Hadramawt, as separatists push for independence, deepening regional tensions.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has called for dialogue between factions in southern Yemen following clashes in the resource-rich Hadramawt province.
The call came in a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry posted to social media on Saturday.
It advocated for “a comprehensive conference in Riyadh to bring together all southern factions to discuss just solutions to the southern cause”.
Riyadh stated that the invitation for talks had been issued by the Yemeni government.
The appeal follows a recent offensive by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seized vast territory in Hadramawt.
The STC’s advances have angered Riyadh, exposing a rift between the Saudi and Emirati allies who support rival factions.
After repeated warnings and airstrikes on an alleged UAE weapons shipment, the Saudi-led coalition launched attacks on Friday.
Air strikes targeted the Al-Khasha military camp in Hadramawt, killing 20 people according to the separatist group.
Gunfire rocked the provincial capital Mukalla on Saturday morning, an AFP journalist reported.
Residents in Seiyun also reported hearing gunfire and clashes early Saturday following coalition strikes on the airport and a military base.
The STC is now pushing to declare independence and form a breakaway state.
On Friday, the separatists announced the start of a two-year transitional period towards declaring an independent state.
The process would include dialogue and a referendum on independence, they said.
The Saudi-backed coalition was formed in 2015 to dislodge Houthi rebels from Yemen’s north.
After a decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place while Saudi and Emirati-backed factions fight each other in the south.
