Flights from Aden international airport were halted on Thursday amid tensions between the Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatists and the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government. The STC has been part of the Saudi-led coalition since 2015 but also seeks a separate southern Yemeni state and expanded operations in Hadramout and al-Mahra in December. Saudi Arabia accuses the United Arab Emirates of arming and encouraging the STC's expansion into those border provinces; the UAE denies the allegations and says it supports Saudi security. The STC-aligned Transport Ministry said the stoppage resulted from Saudi requirements for inspections in Jeddah on Aden–UAE flights, and a Saudi source denied that claim.
"But the STC also seeks to carve out a separate nation in southern Yemen, and in December, expanded its military operations in Hadramout and al-Mahra provinces that border Saudi Arabia, setting off a rapid escalation in tensions. Saudi Arabia has accused the United Arab Emirates also a part of the anti-Houthi coalition of arming the STC and of encouraging the separatist group to expand into Hadramout and al-Mahra, which Riyadh has said threatens its national security."
"the UAE has since agreed to demands from Yemen's Riyadh-backed Presidential Leadership Council and Saudi Arabia to withdraw its troops from Yemen, the STC has refused to pull back from Hadramout and al-Mahra. On Thursday, the STC-aligned Transport Ministry within the internationally recognised government claimed that the stoppage at the airport was a result of Saudi Arabia imposing new requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden airport undergo inspection in Jeddah."
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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