Yemen accuses United Arab Emirates of coup in Aden

By Ayşe Sümeyra Aydoğdu

ADEN, Yemen (AA) – Yemeni Foreign Ministry on Saturday accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supporting the coup in Yemen’s interim capital of Aden.

“#Govt of #Yemen holds the @STCSouthArabia and the United Arab Emirates fully responsible for the coup perpetrated against the state in #Aden,” the ministry said on Twitter.

“This contradicts the main objective for which the #Arab Coalition was called upon to do,” it added.

It also called on the UAE to “immediately cease” material and military support to any rebel groups against the government.

Earlier in the day, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council forces seized presidential palace and strategic public institutions in Aden following four-day clashes in the city.

Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and supporting the country’s pro-Saudi government.