"The command of the UAE forces in Balhaf in the Shabwah province is responsible for fueling the military situation and attempting to capture the city of Ataq — the capital of the province, despite big efforts by Saudi Arabia to end the crisis and the military standoff," the government spokesman, Rajih Badi, told Saba News Agency.
The emergence of the military uprising in Shabwah represented a challenge to the Saudi-led coalition and Saudi Arabia’s efforts to normalise the situation, and end a military escalation in Yemen, Badi insisted.
UAE has yet to comment on the accusations.
A local source said that on Thursday, Saudi military personnel arrived in Ataq to help overcome disagreements between the government forces and the separatist Southern Transitional Council. The council has demanded that the government forces leave the city that its forces had captured.
The UAE is believed to be supporting the southern separatist forces, which have been engaged in violent clashes with the government forces since early August.
At the same time, the UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition, which helps the government fight the Houthi militant movement.
