Yemen Government Accuses UAE-Backed Separatists of Restricting Aden Access

Yemen’s internationally recognised government on Jan. 4 accused the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council of restricting travel into the strategic southern port city of Aden and of carrying out a campaign of arrests, saying it would take “all necessary measures” to restore order. The allegation follows a government announcement that its forces recaptured territory from the STC in eastern areas over the preceding weekend.

In a statement issued from the presidential office to official media, the government said STC forces had blocked main entry points to Aden and had prevented citizens from other parts of the country from passing through the city. The statement, carried by Yemen’s official news agency SABA, cited an unnamed senior official on the Presidential Leadership Council. Government officials and multiple local reports additionally said travellers, including patients and students, were being detained or turned back at checkpoints.

The STC rejected the charges, calling the government’s claims "a complete distortion of the facts" and saying the situation in Aden was stable. The council appealed to regional and international leaders to intervene against what it described as a "Saudi-backed military escalation" and accused northern Islamist factions within the government coalition of targeting civilians and vital infrastructure.

The latest confrontation intensifies a period of shifting front lines in southern Yemen. The STC seized swathes of southern territory in recent weeks, and government forces said they had regained ground on Saturday. Images and handout footage circulating on social media and among local outlets have shown damage in southern towns, including the port city of Mukalla and areas near Sayoun, which have been linked to strikes attributed to a Saudi-led coalition. The coalition said it struck a dock in Mukalla it described as being used to provide foreign military support to the STC.

Transport disruptions have immediate humanitarian and economic consequences. Aden International Airport was closed on Thursday after a dispute over new government conditions on flights to the United Arab Emirates; airline officials said flights were due to resume on Sunday. Travelers were stranded, including patients seeking medical treatment abroad. One passenger, Awadh al-Subaihi, reported waiting at the airport for a flight to Cairo. Ground checkpoints and reported roadblocks have constrained movement for civilians and for goods routed through Aden, the principal transport hub for government-held southern Yemen.

The confrontation is layered onto a deepening diplomatic rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Riyadh has said it views pressure toward its borders as a red line and has accused the UAE of backing moves that expand the STC’s control; Abu Dhabi has said it is withdrawing its remaining forces. The split between two Gulf partners threatens to complicate coordination of military operations, humanitarian assistance and political mediation efforts in Yemen and could unsettle regional markets if it escalates tensions across the Gulf.

Independent verification of the government’s allegations was not immediately available. The unfolding crisis increases risks to civilians in a country already facing acute humanitarian needs and underscores how competing external backers have turned internal political fractures into a broader regional contest.