Yemen cancels defense pact with UAE, demands troop withdrawal

Yemen's internationally recognized government has taken the drastic step of annulling its joint defense agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ordering the withdrawal of all Emirati forces from its territory. In a televised address on Tuesday, Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, gave the UAE 24 hours to comply, citing the Emirati shipment of arms to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in southern Yemen as the direct cause.

Declaration of a State of Emergency

Alongside the termination of the defense pact, al-Alimi announced the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency, effective immediately for a period of 90 days. He also imposed a 72-hour air and land ban on all of Yemen's ports and border crossings. These emergency measures indicate a significant escalation in tensions between the nominal allies and reflect the Yemeni government's attempt to assert its sovereignty over the entire country.

Airstrikes Target Unauthorized Ships at Port

The political rupture was preceded by military action. Earlier on Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition, which has fought Houthi rebels in Yemen for years, conducted what it described as a "limited" airstrike. The strike targeted two commercial vessels at the port of Mukalla. According to coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki, the ships had arrived from the UAE port of Fujairah on December 27-28 without securing official authorization from the coalition’s command, suggesting they were linked to the unauthorized arms transfer.

Broader Context of the Yemen Conflict

The UAE has been a key member of the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government against the Houthi movement since 2015. However, its simultaneous backing of the STC, a separatist group that controls much of southern Yemen including Aden, has long created friction with the central government in Riyadh. This latest incident brings that underlying rivalry into the open, threatening to fracture the anti-Houthi alliance and further complicate one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. The situation is closely monitored by regional powers, including Türkiye, which supports Yemen's territorial integrity.