Alwaght- The United Arab Emirate (UAE) plans to use forces from the African nation of Uganda to reinforce its military operations in Yemen as fatigue sets in within the Saudi-led coalition.
According to Yemeni sources, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan plans to visit Uganda soon to sign several agreements, including one which would see 8,000 fighters sent to Yemen to support UAE forces there.
The source said that the UAE wants the help of the Ugandan mercenaries amid growing concerns that Sudan will withdraw its forces from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the strategy hasn't been coordinated in advance with Saudi Arabia.
This is not the first time UAE has sought the services of foreign mercenaries in Yemen. Last November, The Arab Organization for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR) filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the UAE’s alleged war crimes in Yemen. The organization also accused the UAE of engaging mercenaries to fight in Yemen, including nationals from Australia, South Africa, Columbia, El Salvador, Chile and Panama.
The report comes days after dozens of Sudanese troops were killed in an ambush by Ansarullah resistance movement fighters in the northern province of Hajjah.
Sudan’s reported intention to withdraw troops from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen comes a day after Morocco also indicated that it has decided to withdraw from the coalition, which has been attacking Yemen since March 2015.
According to a report by The North Africa Post, the US-supplied F16 warplanes to Morocco are to be repatriated as the country’s army has been placed on high alert over heightened militancy in Western Sahara.
The coalition includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Sudan. Qatar withdrew from the coalition in June amid a diplomatic rift with Riyadh, Manama, and Abu Dhabi.
The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights announced in a statement on March 25 that the Saudi-led war had left 600,000 civilians dead and injured during the past three years.
The United Nations says a record 22.2 million people are in need of food aid, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. A high-ranking UN aid official recently warned against the “catastrophic” living conditions in Yemen, stating that there was a growing risk of famine and cholera there.
