[TheGuardian] Escalation in war for control of Aden between government and UAE-backed separatists
Intense fighting has broken out between former allies in Yemen’s complex war for control of the interim capital Aden, threatening to open a new front in the war and raising fears for civilians’ safety.
Forces loyal to the Yemeni government were hit by airstrikes on Thursday as they travelled towards Aden, killing at least 30 troops, a government commander said.
While he did not say who carried out the strikes, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia is the only party to the four-year-old conflict with airpower. The attack is a major escalation in a three-week struggle for control of Aden between the Yemeni government and the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) movement, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates. Officials in the UAE declined to comment on the strikes.
The government and the STC are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Houthi rebels who seized much of north Yemen and the capital, Sana'a, in 2014. The STC's ultimate goal, however, is independence for the south from what it says is corruption and mismanagement by Hadi's government, which it says has ties to Islamists.
The rift has also exposed tensions between coalition members Saudi Arabia, which backs President Hadi, and the UAE, which funds the STC and arms its fighting forces.
More at the Guardian. 
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