As Saudi Arabia launched its eight-year military aggression against Yemen in 2015 under the pretext of returning Mansour Hadi to power, in recent years the rift in the failed Saudi coalition has widened to the point of contention between Riyadh and Mansour Hadi.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency International Group, while Ansarullah’s military pressure on the Saudis has forced Riyadh to agree to a two-month Sanaa ceasefire offer to halt Yemeni missile and drone strikes, in such a situation Saudi Arabia is hosting a so-called Yemeni-Yemeni summit attended by representatives of some tribes.
The meeting is being held under the slogan of determining the future political process of Yemen, in a situation where, despite invitations from Ansarullah and the National Salvation Government in Sanaa to attend the meeting by the Gulf Cooperation Council, representatives of the group and other allies rejected Saudi Arabia as Yemen’s main enemy for holding such a meeting they called the continuation of the war and the siege and the pressure on the Yemeni people illegitimate and without a positive result to protect the national interests of Yemen.
But even now, naturally, with the non-participation of the most important faction in the field of power equations in Yemen, the Riyadh summit will already be defeated and will be considered as a propaganda show with no result, however, the actions of the Saudis in the manner of holding this meeting reveal to some extent some of Riyadh’s strategic plans and goals for the future of Yemen.
Continuation of the state of war and pressure
The Riyadh summit focuses more on rebuilding the distorted image of the Saudi coalition in the international mind than on realizing Riyadh’s real will to stop the eight-year invasion of Yemen and lift the inhumane siege. The Saudis, on the other hand, have shown a compromise that can convince the international community of a political solution to the Yemeni crisis in order to get rid of the pressure of the Yemeni attacks on its oil and economic centers.
In this regard, efforts are being made to reopen the path of arms purchases from the West, especially the Biden government, and to restore relations with the West, as the team of the US Special Envoy to Yemen, Lander King, said: “I think this step in Yemen will definitely strengthen US relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.” A senior US diplomat also said that Washington had offered appropriate military sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to prevent further attacks on Sanaa.
In recent weeks, cold relations between Washington and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have intensified in the wake of the Ukraine war, with the US president sending senior officials to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as oil prices have risen, and called on Riyadh to increase its oil production, but both countries refused to accept the request.
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In this case, the sale of weapons to these countries to continue the war and even the possibility of returning Ansarullah to the list of terrorist groups by Washington can be done in exchange for increased oil production.
Riyadh dreams for southern Yemen
Eight years of fruitless war for Saudi Arabia have been spent in Yemen without much achievement and at great financial, political and prestige costs, and the Saudis, frustrated with achieving the initial goals of invading Yemen, are thinking of gaining at least some interest in Yemen before the end of the war.
From the beginning of its entry into the alliance with Saudi Arabia, the UAE has put the utilization of resources and the economic and geostrategic position of the ports and islands of southern Yemen on the agenda and has focused on this area. However, the UAE has incurred much less costs than Saudi Arabia and has been more successful in achieving its goals.
This situation, with the defeat of the Saudi allies in the north, center and west of Yemen, has started the rivalry between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to use the cake in the south of Yemen. In fact, in recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to increase its influence in southern Yemen in competition with the UAE.
As more than 600 Brotherhood leaders, representatives from southern Yemen and forces affiliated with the UAE and Saudi Arabia are said to be in attendance, Yemeni sources say the Saudis have offered them special privileges, including permanent residency. Naturally, granting residence to these individuals is a step towards building a network of allies and strengthening ties with southern groups, tribes, and personalities.
The official transition of Saudi Arabia from the burnt nut of Mansour Hadi
One of the most important consequences and important dimensions of the Riyadh meeting can be considered as sending a signal of transition from Mansour Hadi by the Saudis. As Saudi Arabia launched its eight-year military aggression against Yemen in 2015 under the pretext of returning Mansour Hadi to power, in recent years the rift in the failed Saudi coalition has widened to the point of contention between Riyadh and Mansour Hadi.
Earlier, the announcement of the end of the free settlement of Mansour Hadi and his cabinet representatives in Saudi Arabia and the suspension of funding for their hotels by the Saudi government had shown signs of a crisis in the relations between the resigned government of Mansour Hadi and Riyadh, but now the non-invitation of Mansour Hadi and his deputy Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar to the Riyadh meeting proves Hadi’s message in Saudi Arabia’s future plans for Yemen.