Saudi Arabia 'Betrays' Yemeni Separatists It Funded
Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), formerly lavishly supported by the Saudis and their UAE partners, now cries 'betrayal' as pro-Riyadh forces push into their territories. This isn't betrayal; it's a feature, not a bug, of proxy warfare. Riyadh's eight-year war in Yemen, launched in 2015, aimed to restore a friendly government and curb Houthi influence, has instead devolved into a
humanitarian catastrophe, with the UN estimating over 377,000 deaths by 2021, and its objectives remain elusive. One might wonder if the Kingdom's 'allies' ever considered their dispensability. The media frames this as a new twist, but it's the predictable outcome when a regional power finances disparate groups for its own strategic ends, then abandons or turns on them when convenient. The US,
which has provided billions in military aid and logistical support to the Saudi-led coalition, including a significant $18 billion arms sale approved in 2017, seems strangely adept at overlooking Riyadh's chaotic realpolitik. The question remains: how many factions will Riyadh back and then 'betray' before the international community acknowledges the true cost of this destabilizing strategy?