Yemen Govt Moves to Retake Parts of Coast From Separatists

Officials claim 'several towns' reclaimed in Abyan Province

Despite several reports of a ceasefire between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatists, fighting was reported on Tuesday in the southern Abyan Province.

Last week, STC forces seized materially the whole Abyan Province, a significant coastal province in South Yemen. Officials reported today the government reclaimed “several towns” before declaring another ceasefire.

The STC has been taking over parts of South Yemen all month, but has lost back some of that territory over the past few days. They had promised to “liberate” the entire territory and reclaim independence of South Yemen.

Though the Saudis and the UAE are still presenting the possibility of a negotiated deal to end the fighting, but battles keep erupting as both sides try to secure a last little bit of territory, and there’s no sign of that stopping.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.