Saudi-UAE Squabble: War Profiteers Fight Over Yemen's Scraps
Bloomberg offers the fascinating tidbit that Saudi Arabia's coalition claims the UAE helped a Yemeni separatist leader escape to Abu Dhabi. The Saudi-led coalition, for those with short memories, has been waging a brutal, US-supported war in Yemen since 2014, leading to what the UN calls one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The UAE, a key partner in this 'coalition,' ostensibly shares the
goal of restoring Yemen's 'internationally-recognized governing body' (which, by the way, has little sway on the ground). This 'disagreement' simply highlights the internal machinations of a protracted conflict where regional powers, backed by Western arms sales, jockey for influence and resources. Instead of addressing the systematic destruction of Yemen's infrastructure, the starvation of its
people, or the billions in US military aid that fueled this proxy war, we're treated to news of allied factions squabbling over personnel and 'treason.' One might wonder if the real treason isn't against a nominal government, but against the very notion of human decency. It appears the 'allies' are primarily concerned with who gets to install their preferred warlord, not ending the suffering.