This is a collection of articles about the conflict between southern separatists and the "legitimate" government that broke out in August 2019.
UAE joins the fray in southern Yemen, adding to Saudi woes
30th August 2019
Separatist fighters in southern Yemen who appeared to be on the brink of defeat on Wednesday recovered some lost ground on Thursday as the United Arab Emirates launched airstrikes to support them.
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Decision time in Yemen's southern conflict: a deal or more bloodshed?
29th August 2019
The separatist revolt in Yemen's south which began four weeks ago appeared close to defeat on Wednesday after forces supporting the internationally-recognised government entered Aden.
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Saudi-led coalition in Yemen undergoes emergency repairs
27th August 2019
The Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen's Houthis is undergoing emergency repairs following last week's armed clashes between rival anti-Houthi forces.
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Rifts deepen in Yemen as government forces head south
25th August 2019
During the last few days key elements of Yemen's national army have turned their backs on the main enemy – the Houthis – and moved south to confront allies in the anti-Houthi coalition.
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Yemen: fierce fighting overnight as rival forces clash over 'gateway' to oil fields
23rd August 2019
Intense fighting broke out in Yemen on Thursday as southern separatists and pro-government forces battled for control of the city of Ataq.
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Separatists make further gains in southern Yemen
22nd August 2019
The outbreak of conflict in southern Yemen is rapidly changing the dynamics of the country's four-year-long war. On 10 August separatist forces – trained by the UAE as part of the overall war effort – seized the southern city of Aden from forces supporting the Hadi government and since then appear to have made further advances. The purpose of this article is to try to assess the situation on the ground: who currently controls what.
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Yemen's southern separatists put UN in a bind
21st August 2019
The situation on the ground in Yemen is changing with great speed, UN special envoy Martin Griffiths told the Security Council on Tuesday. "We need to seize any opportunities for progress," he said. The rapid changes that Griffiths was referring to are not in the four-year-long war against the Houthis (which has more or less reached a stalemate) but within the anti-Houthi coalition where a confrontation has broken out between southern separatists and the "legitimate" government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
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The politics of separation: Yemen's southerners scent an opportunity for independence
20th August 2019
The war in Yemen has been fought almost to a standstill. Four years of military intervention by a Saudi-led coalition aimed at restoring the "legitimate" government have failed to dislodge the Houthi rebels who control much of the north and there's little prospect of doing so in the near future. In the meantime, though, another issue has come to the fore: southern separatism.
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Yemen separatists seek international backing
13th August 2019
Last Thursday Yemen's southern separatists sent a letter to the UN Security Council and to the foreign ministers of all EU member states. Written in flawless English, it set out their grievances and demanded "credible southern representation" in political processes aimed at ending the four-year-long war.
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Yemen's southern separatists seize Aden: a micro-coup with huge implications
11th August 2019
On Saturday, after four days of armed clashes, separatist forces seized control of Aden – the "temporary" capital of Yemen's internationally-recognised government. They appear to have met little resistance in taking over military camps, the home of the interior minister and, most symbolically, the almost-empty presidential palace where guards agreed to leave without a fight.
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Houthis' foes fight amongst themselves in Yemen
9th August 2019
Fighting between rival militias in Yemen's anti-Houthi coalition is continuing for a third day, according to reports this morning from the southern city of Aden. The clashes which broke out on Wednesday involve southern separatists on one side and supporters of Yemen's ousted but internationally recognised president, Abd Rabbou Mansour Hadi, on the other.
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Northerners 'deported' from Yemen's south
5th August 2019
Dozens of northern Yemenis living in the southern city of Aden have been "deported" back to the north during the last few days, according to local media reports. Forces of the Emirati-trained Security Belt are said to have raided homes, shops and markets, rounding up northerners. The anti-northern campaign seems to be in response to a missile strike on a military parade in Aden last Thursday which killed more than 30 people.
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