\n<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia\u2019s foreign ministry has welcomed a request from Yemen\u2019s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) for a forum in Riyadh to resolve a deadly factional rift<\/span> in the country\u2019s south that has stoked armed conflict there and triggered tensions between Gulf Arab nations.<\/p>\n In a statement on Saturday, the Saudi foreign ministry called on southern factions to participate in the forum in the Saudi capital to \u201cformulate a comprehensive vision for fair solutions to the southern cause\u201d.<\/p>\n Earlier on Saturday, PLC Chairman Rashad al-Alimi appealed to the different groups and figures in southern Yemen to come together for a meeting in Riyadh, according to Saba News Agency.<\/p>\n Saba quoted al-Alimi as underlining the \u201cjustness and centrality of the southern cause\u201d and \u201crejected any unilateral or exclusionary solutions\u201d to resolve the ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n Deadly tensions have erupted in recent days, after the separatist group Southern Transitional Council (STC) launched a major offensive in Yemen\u2019s Hadramout and al-Mahra provinces, which make up nearly half of Yemen\u2019s territory.<\/p>\n Oil-producing Hadramout borders Saudi Arabia, and many prominent Saudis trace their origins to the province, lending it cultural and historical significance for the kingdom. Its capture by the STC last month was regarded by the Saudis as a threat.<\/p>\n The STC is part of the anti-Houthi coalition in Yemen\u2019s south. But it is said to harbour plans to carve out its own nation in southern Yemen, causing conflict with its partner, the internationally recognised Yemeni government led by the PLC.<\/p>\n The Saudis have accused its coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), of arming the STC, whose military operation is now threatening to split Yemen into three, while also posing problems to Riyadh\u2019s own national security.<\/p>\n The UAE has denied those allegations, insisting that it supports Saudi Arabia\u2019s security.<\/p>\n In a statement on Saturday, the UAE expressed its \u201cdeep concern\u201d over the ongoing escalation and called on the Yemenis \u201cto prioritise wisdom and exercise restraint to ensure security and stability in the country\u201d.<\/p>\n The Saudi-backed coalition was formed in 2015 in an attempt to dislodge the Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen\u2019s north.<\/p>\n But after a brutal, decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place while the Saudi and Emirati-backed factions attack each other in the south.<\/p>\n On Friday, air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition killed 20 people, according to the STC.<\/p>\n Late on Friday, the UAE announced the return of all Emirati armed forces personnel from Yemen, signalling a possible detente with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n The UAE\u2019s defence ministry said that the withdrawal of its forces from Yemen is in accordance with its decision \u201cto conclude the remaining missions of counter-terrorism units\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe process has been conducted in a manner that ensured the safety of all personnel and carried out in coordination with all relevant partners,\u201d the ministry said in a statement published on the Emirates News Agency website.<\/p>\n Amid the UAE\u2019s announcement of a withdrawal, the STC unilaterally declared that it aims to hold a referendum on independence<\/span> from the north in two years.<\/p>\n In an interview with Al Jazeera, former Yemeni diplomat and parliament member Ali Ahmed al-Amrani, however, dismissed the idea of secession as a solution to the Yemeni crisis, saying it \u201cdoes not reflect a national consensus\u201d.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hisham Al-Omeisy, a political and conflict analyst focusing on Yemen with the European Institute of Peace, warned that if not resolved, the latest violence in the south could mark the start of a dangerous new phase in the war, with rival forces seeking to reshape control on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be basically seeing a bloody conflict, at least in the coming few days, to draw a new map in the south,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is prolonged fighting,\u201d Al-Omeisy told Al Jazeera, describing a situation in which \u201cwarring factions are trying to gain territory and secure the upper hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a proxy war within a proxy war,\u201d he said, adding that the consequences could extend far beyond Yemen\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n