UAE will “extinguish fire in Yemen” – deputy PM

The United Arab Emirates’ decision to take part in the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen was a “sound” one, asserted the country’s deputy Prime Minister and minister of Interior.

Addressing the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan praised the role played by UAE troops in assisting Yemen.

“The UAE rushed to protect our brothers in Yemen to restore hope and give back the rights to its people,” he said.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition’s Operation Restoring Hope began conducting air strikes against Houthi rebels in March in a bid to restore Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government in the country.

It has also provided material and military support to factions within the country fighting the Houthis.

On the humanitarian front, the UAE has supported 69 schools, 19 health centres, six power projects and 13 police stations in Yemen, said Sheikh Saif.

Comparing the problem in Yemen with the recent Address Hotel fire in Dubai, he said: “Had we not intervened in Yemen, the fire would have spilled over into the adjacent countries and into our own homes.

“We have no doubt that we will be able to extinguish the fire in Yemen just like we did the Address fire,” he added.

The UAE has reiterated its support for Yemen’s cause despite suffering heavy casualty numbers since the crisis began. Atleast 50 UAE soldiers were killed in September after a Houthi rocket hit an ammunition depot in Yemen’s Marib province. Several others have also died in the violence.

In November, the UAE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister and Dubai’s ruler His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “I would like to say to the Yemeni people that we will stand by them to restore the legitimate government. As soon as the legitimate government is restored our troops will return to their barracks [in the UAE].”