"ADEN, Yemen Yemen's separatist movement on Friday announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south and demanded other factions in the war-torn country accept the move in an escalation of a confrontation that has pitted Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against each other. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council depicted the announcement as a declaration of independence for the south. But it was not immediately clear if the move could be implemented or was largely symbolic. Last month, STC-linked fighters seized control of two southern provinces from Saudi-backed forces and took over the Presidential Palace in the south's main city, Aden."
"On Friday, Saudi warplanes bombed camps and military positions held by the STC in Hadramout province as Saudi-backed fighters tried to seize the facilities, a separatist official said. It was the latest direct intervention by Saudi Arabia, which in recent weeks has bombed STC forces and struck what is said was a shipment of Emirati weapons destined for the separatists. Ostensibly, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and their allies on the ground in Yemen have all been part of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who control the north in the country's decade-long civil war."
"The coalition's professed goal has long been to restore the internationally recognized government, which was driven out of the north by the Houthis. But tensions between the factions and the two Gulf nations appear to be unraveling the coalition, threatening to throw them into outright conflict and further tear apart the Arab world's poorest country."
A UAE-backed separatist group in southern Yemen issued a constitution for an independent southern state and demanded acceptance from other factions. The Southern Transitional Council portrayed the measure as a declaration of independence, though implementation remains uncertain. STC-aligned fighters recently seized two southern provinces and occupied the Presidential Palace in Aden, prompting members of the internationally recognized government to flee to Riyadh. Saudi aircraft bombed STC camps and positions in Hadramout as Saudi-backed forces attempted to capture them, and Saudi strikes have targeted shipments of alleged Emirati weapons to separatists. Growing Saudi–UAE tensions threaten to unravel the anti-Houthi coalition and deepen Yemen's instability. The coalition had aimed to restore the internationally recognized government driven from the north by Houthi rebels, but internal conflict now risks broader confrontation.
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