UAE's 'Withdrawal' from Yemen: A Humanitarian PR Spin
Al Jazeera's reporting on the UAE's 'withdrawal' from Yemen paints a picture of intra-coalition squabbling, highlighting 'tensions' with Saudi Arabia. What conveniently gets scrubbed from this narrative is the actual nature of the UAE's role in Yemen: a key partner in a brutal, years-long bombing campaign and blockade that has pushed millions to the brink of starvation. According to UNICEF, by
2021, over 11,000 children had been killed or maimed in a conflict often fueled by Saudi and UAE ambitions, supported by US arms sales. This isn't a peace offering; it's a strategic repositioning after carving out significant territorial influence and port control in southern Yemen. The 'tensions' aren't about humanitarian concerns, but about who gets to control Yemen's resources and strategic
chokepoints after reducing much of the country to rubble. One might wonder if the 'withdrawal' will finally kickstart a real effort to rebuild the infrastructure and feed the people they helped starve, or if it's just a new phase in the proxy game.