The flare-up (Sub) in fighting (Gerund) between Yemen’s Saudi-backed (Adj) government (Obj) and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist (Adj) force (Obj) backed (Past Participle) by the UAE, has exposed (Present Perfect) the country’s internal (Adj) vulnerabilities (Obj) and the Persian Gulf region’s geopolitical (Adj) fault lines (Obj). The crisis (Sub) escalated (Past Simple) in early (Adj) December when the Aden-based (Adj) STC (Sub) launched (Past Simple) a surprise (Adj) offensive (Obj) in the oil-rich (Adj) Hadhramaut and al-Mahra governorates (Obj), which were (Past Simple) under government (Adj) control (Obj). It (Sub) gained (Past Simple) control (Obj) of nearly (Adv) half (Obj) of the former (Adj) South Yemen state (Obj), but the advances (Sub) were (Past Simple) short-lived (Adj).

Government forces (Sub), covered (Past Participle) by Saudi air (Adj) power (Obj), swiftly (Adv) recaptured (Past Simple) the lost (Adj) areas (Obj). On January 7, government forces (Sub) entered (Past Simple) Aden (Obj), forcing (Present Participle) the STC (Obj) to send (Infinitive) a delegation (Obj) to Riyadh for talks (Obj). In the Saudi capital (Obj), the STC (Sub) announced (Past Simple) its dissolution (Obj), while its leader (Sub), Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, who has been charged (Present Perfect Passive) with treason (Obj), is believed (Present Simple Passive) to have fled (Infinitive) to the UAE (Obj).

The crisis (Sub) also (Adv) brought (Past Simple) Saudi-UAE tensions (Obj) into the open. Riyadh (Sub) accused (Past Simple) Abu Dhabi of transferring (Gerund) weapons (Obj) to Yemeni (Adj) separatists (Obj), and carried out (Past Simple) air strikes (Obj) on the port of Mukalla (Obj), reportedly (Adv) targeting (Present Participle) arms shipments (Obj). Following (Present Participle) a rare public (Adj) rebuke (Obj) from Saudi Arabia, the UAE (Sub) announced (Past Simple) its withdrawal (Obj) of forces from Yemen (Obj) and an end (Obj) to its “counterterrorism operations” (Obj).

The UAE (Sub) was (Past Simple) a part (Obj) of Saudi Arabia’s military (Adj) coalition (Obj) when it began bombing (Past Continuous) the Houthis (Ansar Allah) (Obj), the Shia (Adj) militia (Obj) that captured (Past Simple) Sanaa (Obj), Yemen’s capital (Obj), in 2014. But the years-long (Adj) war (Sub) did (Past Simple) little (Obj) to defeat (Infinitive) the Houthis (Obj). The Saudi-backed (Adj) government (Sub) operated (Past Simple) from Aden in the south, until the STC (Sub) began challenging (Past Continuous) it. The UAE (Sub) then began (Past Simple) support (Obj) to the STC (Obj).

Saudi Arabia (Sub), facing (Present Participle) a direct security (Adj) threat (Obj) from the Houthis (Obj) along its southern borders (Obj), entered (Past Simple) into a ceasefire (Obj) with the group (Obj), and sought (Past Simple) to stabilise (Infinitive) southern Yemen (Obj) through the government (Obj). Yet, Riyadh (Sub) grew (Past Simple) increasingly (Adv) alarmed (Adj) by the expanding military (Adj) power (Obj) and defiance (Obj) of the separatists (Obj). As government forces (Sub) and the STC (Sub) fought (Past Simple) for influence (Obj) in the south, the Houthis (Sub) entrenched (Past Simple) their position (Obj) in the north, encompassing (Present Participle) key population centres (Obj).

The true (Adj) victims (Sub) of this multi-layered (Adj) conflict (Obj), however, have been (Present Perfect) Yemen’s civilians (Obj). The country (Sub) faces (Present Simple) one (Obj) of the world’s worst (Adj) humanitarian (Adj) crises (Obj), with millions (Obj) on the brink (Obj) of famine (Obj), an economy (Obj) in ruins (Adj) and devastated (Adj) infrastructure (Obj). For now, an uneasy (Adj) calm (Sub) prevails (Present Simple) in the south. But STC representatives (Sub) in the UAE have dismissed (Present Perfect) claims (Obj) that the council (Sub) has been disbanded (Present Perfect Passive).

For peace (Obj) to take hold (Infinitive), all Yemeni (Adj) factions (Sub) must together (Adv) establish (Base Form) a federal governance (Adj) structure (Obj), addressing (Present Participle) present (Adj) power dynamics (Obj) and historical (Adj) grievances (Obj). For this (Obj) to happen (Infinitive), Saudi Arabia (Sub) and the UAE (Sub) must bury (Base Form) the hatchet (Obj) and work (Base Form) jointly (Adv) for stability (Obj) in their impoverished (Adj) neighbouring (Adj) country (Obj).