UAE Supports Spread of Al-Qaeda in Yemen

A confidential UN report by a group of experts belonging to the International Sanctions Committee against Yemen has confirmed the support provided by the United Arab Emirates for armed groups and its involvement in illegal detention and enforced disappearances in the war-torn country. The document has also revealed that, according to some reliable sources, UAE forces have been forcibly detaining two people in Aden for more than 8 months.

The report – a copy of which has been obtained by Al-Jazeera – speaks of the spread of militias and armed groups operating outside the control of the legitimate government which have been receiving direct funding and assistance from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

It points out that one of those groups in Taiz is led by someone called Abu Al-Abbas (Al-Salafi) and is funded by the UAE. These groups have been unwilling to join the Yemeni army. In addition, groups such as the Special Hadhramout Brigade and the forces of the “Security Belt” that are funded and supported by the UAE do not abide by the laws and authority of the legitimate government, Middle East Monitor reported.

The document added that the conflict in Taiz made Abu Al-Abbas, who is supported directly by the UAE, even more influential. As part of his conflict with the Houthis, he has given free rein to members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to spread inside Taiz in order to back his forces and restrict the political and military influence of the Al-Islah Party.

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, frequently called al-Islah, is more of a loose coalition of tribal and religious elements than a political party. Al-Islah says that those thinking of fighting for the Yemeni government against the Houthis should instead keep out of the war because Yemenis must not help Yemen’s pro-western government, which deserves to be overthrown.

The details of the report have been kept secret by members of the UN Security Council ever since they received it earlier this month. It confirms what was said before by news agencies, other media and human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch, that the UAE is using local agents to manage the prisons and a number of other civil institutions in some of the provinces in southern Yemen, so that it will not be held accountable for what happens there.

It has been pointed out that the authority of the legitimate government is either weak or non-existent in large parts of Yemen, especially after the creation of a political council in the south that counterbalances the official authorities.

The warning has also been made that removing Qatar from the Saudi-led coalition has affected the financing of development in Yemen and the distribution of humanitarian assistance.