Yemen accuses UAE of flaring up conflict in Shabwa

By Abdullah Ahmed

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The Yemeni government has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of flaring up the military situation in Shabwah, country's southern province.

In a statement late Thursday released by the official Saba news agency, government spokesman Rajeh Badi said UAE's military command in Shabwah is responsible for the attempt of separatist forces to storm Ataq city, the provincial capital.

On Thursday evening, forces loyal to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council clashed with government forces in the outskirts of Ataq in an attempt to capture the city.

Badi said that the Emirati-backed offensive in Ataq took place despite the great efforts of Saudi Arabia to end the crisis and stop the military escalation.

He stressed the government's determination to repel the insurgency led by the so-called Transitional Council by all means.

According to local sources, sporadic clashes are still underway.

Yemen plunged into a civil war in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in the impoverished country.

The ongoing violence has devastated Yemen’s basic infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation as "one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times".

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat