Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has called for Yemen’s southern factions to attend a “dialogue” in Riyadh, after a surprise independence bid.
In a statement on Saturday, the Saudi ministry urged “a comprehensive conference in Riyadh to bring together all southern factions to discuss just solutions to the southern cause”. Riyadh said the Yemeni government had issued the invitation for talks.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have for years supported various factions within Yemen’s internationally recognized government-run territories, intervening in the neighboring country’s long-running civil war.
Meanwhile, the UAE said it had withdrawn all its troops from Yemen.
The move comes after days of airlifts by UAE military aircraft following an order to withdraw from anti-Houthi forces in Yemen. This followed Saudi Arabia airstrikes pushing back against the advance of Emirati-backed separatists there