Saudi-led coalition continues to redeploy warring Yemeni forces

ADEN, Yemen－For the third consecutive day, military officials of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition continued redeploying forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, and Yemen's government in the country's southern provinces.

Saudi Arabia seeks to implement a long-delayed power-sharing deal signed between the STC and Yemen's government last year as well as putting an end to internal military conflict between its nominal allies.

Earlier on Saturday, all military units of the STC withdrew from flashpoint areas in the country's southern province of Abyan and headed back to their locations in the neighboring province of Lahj.

A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "the 15th Armored Brigade backed by other military units of the STC left Abyan and ceased the military operations there".

"The STC's military units honestly implemented the instructions given by the Saudi officials and moved out from Abyan to other areas determined by the observers," the source said.

A number of army units affiliated with Yemen's government were redeployed from the military contact lines on the outskirts of Zinjibar, capital of Abyan, he said.

The pro-government military units withdrew to their previous headquarters in the country's southeastern province of Shabwa, the official said.

Amin Hussein, spokesman of the pro-government forces in Abyan, said the process of rearranging the warring factions continued for the third day smoothly without obstacles.

Leaders of pro-government forces were continuing to hold meetings with a Saudi committee of observers in Abyan to complete the withdrawal process, he said.

The observers were dealing seriously with the military commanders of the warring factions and had more or less succeeded in implementing the troop redeployment, Hussein said.

Proceeding gradually

Mohammed Naqib, spokesman of the STC's troops, said the redeployment of warring troops proceeded gradually according to agreements between the factions under the Saudi officials' supervision.

"We received assurances from the Saudi … committee that the other party also withdrew and implemented the orders as planned by the coalition," Naqib said.

Local residents confirmed that armed confrontations had ceased in Abyan and that there was calm in what had been turbulent areas of the southern province.

All roads linking the coastal town of Shuqrah that is located on the Arabian Sea and other cities of Abyan were reopened, they said.

On Thursday, the two-warring sides finally agreed on ceasing hostilities and redeploying troops in southern provinces before declaring a new power-sharing government.

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition began supervising redeployments through their military observers on the ground, the separation of the Yemeni military forces in Abyan and their return to the fronts, in addition to their exit from the capital, Aden.

The coalition said previously that it had agreed to announce the new power-sharing Yemeni government as soon as the military aspect was completed, including troop replacement within a week.

Last year Saudi Arabia persuaded the STC and the Yemeni government to hold reconciliation talks, which resulted in a deal to form a new technocratic cabinet of no more than 24 ministers.

However, numerous obstacles have stood in the way of implementing the deal.

Xinhua