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A30 WORLD NEWS
Diahuebs 27 Mei 2021

Yemen officials demand answers after AP report on air base

An earlier effort begun to- on behalf of the separatists
ward the end of 2016 and lat- also killed at least 30 troops
er abandoned had workers try backing Hadi in 2019. The
to build an even-larger run- UAE has backed other mili-
way over 3 kilometers (9,800 tias in the war as well.
feet) long, which would al-
low for the heaviest bombers. Yemeni lawmaker Ali al-
That earlier effort also saw Mamari wrote a letter to
ships linked to the UAE take the government demanding
part in the construction. more details.

Military officials with Ye- “There is information sug-
men’s internationally rec- gesting that the UAE is
ognized government, which building a military base in the
the Saudi-led coalition has Mayun island without the
backed since 2015, say the knowledge of the member
UAE is building the runway. states,” al-Mamari wrote. “Is
The officials, speaking ear- the government familiar with
lier to the AP on condition what is happening on the is-
of anonymity as they didn’t land? And what measures has
have authorization to brief it taken?”
journalists, say Emirati ships
transported military weap- Another lawmaker, Ali Ashal,
ons, equipment and troops similarly asked for more in-
to Mayun Island in recent formation after facing what
weeks. he described as silence after
earlier raising concerns about
The military officials said the UAE’s presence in Ye-
recent tension between the men.
(AP) — Yemeni offi- Mansour Hadi. A Saudi-led bloody war. It also provides UAE and Hadi came in part
cials demanded answers coalition fought on the gov- a base for any operations into from an Emirati demand Mohammed Qaisan, an un-
Wednesday after an Asso- ernment’s behalf when it the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden for his government to sign a dersecretary to Yemen’s In-
ciated Press report high- entered Yemen’s long war and nearby East Africa. 20-year lease agreement for formation Ministry with the
lighted a mysterious air in 2015 against the Iranian- Mayun Island, also known internationally recognized
base being built on a Ye- backed Houthi rebels now Satellite images from Planet as Perim Island. Emirati offi- government, tweeted that
meni island in one of the holding its capital. Labs Inc. obtained by the AP cials have not acknowledged the UAE had “tampered”
world’s crucial maritime showed dump trucks and any disagreement and said with Mayun Island. He also
chokepoints. The UAE, home to Abu graders building a 1.85 kilo- they were withdrawing from criticized the Emirates for its
Dhabi and Dubai, has not re- meter (6,070-foot) runway the war in 2019. “continuous support for the
A lawmaker asked Yemen’s sponded to repeated requests on the island on April 11. By illegally armed militias in lib-
internationally recognized for comment regarding the May 18, that work appeared Hadi’s government has been erated areas,” referring to the
government if the United base and offered no immedi- complete, with three hangars critical of the UAE, especially southern separatists.
Arab Emirates built the facil- ate reaction Wednesday to the constructed on a tarmac just for backing southern separat-
ity as data in the AP report officials’ comments. south of the runway. Im- ist groups during its military “This requires a firm stance
links the UAE to the con- ages from Tuesday showed campaign in Yemen. The from the government as si-
struction. The runway on Mayun Is- vehicles parked at the base’s separatists have gotten into lence on this made it pursue
land allows whoever controls newly built hangars. shootouts with forces loyal this and gave the Houthi
Another official openly criti- it to project power into the to the internationally recog- militia an opportunity to un-
cized the UAE for “under- strait and easily launch air- A runway of that length can nized government, forcing dermine the legitimacy of the
mining” the government strikes into mainland Yemen, accommodate attack, surveil- the Saudis to intervene sever- Yemeni government,” Qaisan
of President Abed Rabbo convulsed by a yearslong lance and transport aircraft. al times. An Emirati airstrike wrote.

Ethiopia says 22 regional officials killed by Tigray rebels

(AP) — Rebels have killed regional administration with
22 officials of the war-hit an interim one headed by
Tigray region’s interim officials appointed by the
administration, Ethiopia’s federal government based in
government said Wednes- Addis Ababa. But six months
day. on, fighting continues in Ti-
gray as pro-TPLF fighters
An additional 20 interim of- wage an insurgent campaign
ficials had been “kidnapped” in the region’s countryside.
by forces loyal to the Tigray-
an People’s Liberation Front, The attacks on the officials
or TPLF, which ruled the have been carried out “by
region until it was toppled TPLF fighters that claim to
by an offensive ordered by be fighting for the people of
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Tigray but have rather been
in November. A further four actively engaged in the de-
have been “wounded and struction of property, kidnap-
hospitalized,” said the state- ping and killing of members
ment issued on Twitter. of the provisional adminis-
tration that are tasked with
Abiy declared victory four bringing stability,” said the
weeks after the offensive be- statement.
gan and replaced the TPLF’s