UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) troops seized control of the Al-Aqlah oil facility in Yemen’s Shabwa province on 7 December, coming after a significant escalation between Emirati and Saudi-supported forces in the country.

Aden Independent TV cited a military source as saying that the UAE-backed forces have taken the entire oil facility.

Several other vital and strategic areas in the central province of Shabwa have also fallen to the STC in recent days.

According to Sanaa-linked Yemeni media outlet Al-Masirah, the Saudi military has begun evacuating personnel from Aden.

“A Saudi military cargo plane evacuated dozens of soldiers who were stationed in headquarters and camps belonging to the [Saudi-led] coalition command in the city. The Saudi-led aggression-occupation coalition issued a decision to completely close Yemeni airspace, preventing the issuance of permits for any civilian flights to and from Yemeni territory,” sources told the outlet.

“This Saudi escalation is a clear and deliberate reaction to the actions of the STC, specifically its recent moves in the eastern governorates of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra, which Riyadh considered a crossing of red lines,” Al-Masirah cites analysts as saying.

According to an STC source cited by Reuters, members of the Saudi-backed government have begun leaving Aden.

Saudi Arabia has withdrawn troops from the presidential palace in Aden, where both the Saudi-backed international government and the STC have been based in recent years.

Last week, STC forces seized the major city of Seiyun in the Hadhramaut province, Yemen’s largest province. In an operation dubbed “Promising Future,” STC forces took the city after clashes with troops affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the internationally recognized Yemeni government – the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).

Seiyun is the second largest city in the energy-rich province of Hadhramaut.

STC forces also managed to capture some areas in the oil-rich province of Mahra, bringing its units closer to the border with Oman.

Clashes have raged across Hadhramaut since late last month. The Saudi-backed tribal militia formed earlier this year – Hadhramaut Protection Forces – recently called for all forms of “resistance” against advancing STC forces.

The group also accused the STC of preparing for an invasion of Hadhramaut.

Al-Masirah reported that STC forces have launched a campaign of raids, looting, and coercion across Hadhramaut, targeting residents and enforcing an atmosphere of “terror.”

Since the STC seized parts of the province, dozens of homes have been stormed, traders extorted, and soldiers assaulted. The report adds that the STC has become the “de facto authority” in the province.

According to the Soufan Center, the latest seizure of territory by the STC came with little fighting, prompting observers to speculate that the areas were handed over to the Emirati-backed group.

A ceasefire was reached on 3 December, but quickly collapsed as the STC continued to advance.

The latest advancements mean the STC now controls a major part of the territory that makes up the independent, secessionist state the group aspires to form in south Yemen.

The UAE was a major partner in the Saudi-led war launched against Yemen and the Ansarallah-led government in Sanaa, which began in 2015.

Despite this, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have been embroiled in a rivalry for control and influence in Yemen over the past few years. Critics accuse both countries of seeking to divide Yemen to control its natural resources and strategic ports within their respective spheres of influence.

Ansarallah was close to advancing militarily in Marib toward the end of 2021. However, peace talks began shortly thereafter, halting their offensive.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia and the Ansarallah-led government in Sanaa were close to reaching a peace deal. The agreement was never finalized or implemented, and the Saudi military continues to shell Saada and other border areas.

The STC reportedly took a firm stance against the peace talks between Saudi Arabia and Ansarallah at the time.