The UAE played a heroic role in Yemen

The UAE's decision to end combat operations in Yemen comes close on the heels of progress attained in peace talks with the Houthis in Kuwait City.

The UAE has called it a day in Yemen. It was officially declared on Wednesday that the 'war is over', though the UAE may continue to keep its troops for counter-terrorism and humanitarian operations. This brings to an end a heroic episode in the history of the Emiratis who bravely fought for their Yemeni brethren and stood by them through thick and thin. In a series of tweets, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, quoted Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash as saying that "the war is over for our troops".
The UAE's decision to end combat operations in Yemen comes close on the heels of progress attained in peace talks with the Houthis in Kuwait City. Which is why Gargash said the UAE will continue monitoring political arrangements and "empowering Yemenis in liberated areas". The Saudi Arabia-led coalition, of which the UAE was a robust and indispensable component, intervened a year ago in the strife-torn state in an attempt to counter the growing influence of Iran and Tehran's backing for the Houthi rebels. In addition to fighting the Houthis and their allies in Yemen, the UAE helped the coalition drive Al Qaeda and its associates out of the southern coastal city of Mukalla in April. The UAE made a huge sacrifice in the operation, suffering several casualties over the past year of fighting but stood fast against all eventualities. This won them admiration and support from the Yemenis who saw the Emiratis as their saviours at a time when their homeland was literally under aggression from Tehran's proxies. Official media reports say more than 80 Emirati soldiers have been martyred since the operations began on March 26, 2015. In September, 45 Emirati troops embraced martyrdom as a missile fired by the rebels hit their camp, making it the deadliest day in the nation's history. But the UAE kept its cool and made every effort to address the conflict in its neighbourhood.
The UAE air force had been flying sorties in Yemen against Houthi positions at the request of President Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi. The coalition embarked on the combat mission after all political options were exhausted, but never gave up the option of a negotiated settlement to the dispute.
The winding down of the military operation by the second largest partner in the coalition will have far-reaching consequences. Though Riyadh had not commented, it is widely believed that it is a step towards normalising the situation so that peace could have a chance to triumph. The coalition has already achieved its target with the return of President Hadi to Yemen, and the pushing back of rebels. One of the major successes that the coalition, with support from the United States air force, achieved is to batter down the remnants of Al Qaeda, and thwart attempts by the terror group Daesh to make inroads in Yemen.
As far as the UAE is concerned, it has achieved all the three major targets it had set for itself: to bring back the Yemen crisis to the political track; to reinstate the internationally recognised government of Hadi; and to counter the growing Iranian influence in the war-torn country.
This is the time for the coalition to address the crisis in Yemen on two fronts: One, provision of humanitarian assistance to more than 80 per cent of the population. Millions are homeless and hundreds and thousands are in despair on the frontiers and in neighbouring states. Rehabilitating them will not only restore peace and stability in Yemen but also be a setback to forces of extremism that had thrived on their state of deprivation. Second, to ensure that the gains made across the table are converted into a permanent peace deal. Yemen is at a critical stage of its existence. It needs support from its neighbours and the international community.
The crisis has already claimed more than 7,000 lives and pushed one of the poorest Arab countries deep into the abyss of chaos and uncertainty. Now is the time to bring back hope, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia have a role to play for the collective betterment of Yemen and the region. Building a peace regime will be more toiling than fighting a war.
mehkri@khaleejtimes.com