News - Yemen: Southern Yemeni researcher Mahfouz Nasser has leveled severe criticisms against the military landscape in the region, affirming that the various Saudi- and Emirati-backed factions are engaged in a self-serving "thieves' conflict" that ultimately serves the Israeli and American enemies' interests.

During an interview on Almasirah TV,  Nasser described the PLC as a "fractured security company," arguing that internal disputes over positions and revenue collection expose its detachment from the concerns of Yemeni citizens.

Nasser affirmed that the proliferation of military formations—such as the former "Al-Nizam Army" and "Al-Badiya Army"—is a deliberate strategy to foster fragmentation and conflict among different parties. He drew a parallel to British colonial tactics in Aden, which prevented the formation of a unified national army.

The primary goal of these structures, according to Nasser, is to drag the resource-rich provinces of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra into civil war, a scenario that has so far been avoided. This alleged instability, he argued, allows Saudi Arabia and the UAE to focus on plundering resources and halting development—a "revengeful" response to Sana'a's steadfast stance over the past quarter-century.

Nasser further asserted that all actors involved are essentially "hunting dogs" serving reactionary Gulf powers, American imperialism, and the Israeli enemy. The strategic objective, he stated, is to secure safe passageways through the Arabian Sea and Red Sea and to control the region's wealth. He cited the frequent visits of Israeli, American, and French diplomats and military personnel to these provinces as confirmation of their strategic importance.

The internal strife within the PLC was highlighted as evidence of its fragility. Nasser pointed to public accusations between UAE-backed PLC Vice President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi and Saudi-backed Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi, as well as conflicting appointment decrees, as clear signs of a deeply divided entity where each faction is beholden to its respective patron in Riyadh or Abu Dhabi.

Nasser concluded that the forces in control are not serving the nation or its people but are instead serving their foreign operators, impoverishing and humiliating the population to turn them into mercenaries or drive them toward extremist groups. He explained that the Al-Rayyan Airport in Al-Mahra has been turned into an intelligence and military base run by the CIA and Israel's Mossad. This reflect the highly polarized and accusatory nature of the propaganda war being waged alongside the military conflict in Yemen.

Since 2015, southern Yemeni provinces have been under Saudi- and Emirati-backed occupation, with the Riyadh-backed Presidential Council and allied militias controlling the city. Chronic corruption, unpaid salaries, power outages, and arbitrary arrests have fueled widespread public anger, reflecting broader unrest across southern Yemen and raising the risk of escalating protests and instability.