The Conflict in Yemen: A Colonialist War Using Local Proxies
(Translated)

Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 580 - 31/12/2025
By: Ustadh Abdul Mahmoud Al-Amri – Wilayah Yemen

Before delving into the local tools of the conflict, it is essential to understand that the colonialist powers vying for influence in Yemen are America and Britain, and their regional proxies are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Yemen is currently witnessing a conflict that appears to be a domestic dispute, but is in reality a struggle orchestrated by international colonialist powers through local and regional proxies. This conflict did not arise from the will of the Yemeni people. Instead, this conflict is the product of the convergence of international powers' interests within the framework of this struggle, aimed at expanding their political influence and plundering the country's resources. This conflict is cloaked in “nationalistic” slogans and “local political projects” that conceal Western interests. In the south, we see the Southern Transitional Council, a British proxy, advancing in several governorates and seizing strategic locations. On the surface, Rashad al-Alimi’s government appears aligned with other alliances, but in reality, it is subservient to Britain. The political networks and major institutions known as “legitimate” are merely extensions of the British colonialist influence structure, stretching from its occupation of Aden in 1839, to its nominal withdrawal in 1967. The fragmentation within this political landscape, under the banner of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), effectively backed by the UAE, is nothing more than a ploy to obstruct the Southern Movement, a tool of neo-American colonialism, managed and sponsored by Saudi Arabia through local figures and factions. Current events in the south are clear evidence, for any discerning observer, of the colonialist struggle over its oil wealth, and its strategic location on the Arabian Sea. This makes control of the region a coveted prize for any power seeking political dominance and the plunder of its resources. As a consequence of this colonialist conflict, Hadramawt has become a battleground where only gains are considered, making the struggle fierce.

The UAE serves British policy not only in southern Yemen, but also across the Horn of Africa and North Africa, ensuring its ports, along with those on the Arabian Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, safeguard the interests of its backers. Saudi Arabia's expansion into Hadramawt signifies the extension of American colonialist influence, enabling the transport of oil from Hadramawt, eastward across the Arabian Sea towards the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as an alternative to the ongoing instability in Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea.

Since Operation Decisive Storm in 2015, Saudi Arabia has exerted considerable effort to intervene as a rival or counterbalance to the UAE. It utilizes the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance, established in 2013, and the Homeland Shield Forces as local entities, serving as a political front against the actions of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. Saudi Arabia is currently operating according to the directives of an American agenda, which it seeks to implement through its sham support for Hadi and Al-Alimi. However, how can Riyadh and Abu Dhabi independently undertake political actions in the region?

The conflicts, therefore, revolve around oil, the sea, ports, roads, and strategic location, all managed by two colonialist powers, with Western companies and investments operating on both sides. The alliance with these colonialist powers by local agents, who are dependent on them and shift their allegiances, facilitates the penetration and perpetuation of foreign influence.

One might ask why we see the fragility of the legitimacy of the current regime in Aden, and the weakness of its institutions. We say that this stems from American pressure to fragment Yemen, making it easier to control, after it proved difficult to take it entirely. American pressure on Aden, exerted through Saudi Arabia, is continuous and multifaceted, and neither Britain nor the Aden government can withstand it.

In northern Yemen, America sponsored the Houthis, ensuring that Saudi Arabia would maintain their grip on power in Sana’a instead of eliminating them. America protected them in international forums, brokered the Stockholm Agreement, and prevented British proxies from reaching the port of Hodeidah. It forced them to withdraw from its outskirts, and the outskirts of Sana’a, a fact readily apparent to any astute observer. The game of succession within the Southern Transitional Council is currently underway. However, it is no simple matter. Saudi deposits are the lifeblood of the currency in Aden, aligning with IMF loan programs. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s geographical proximity to Hadramawt Governorate, the Kharaikhir-Nishtun oil pipeline project, and the civilian and military forces linked to Saudi Arabia are hindering British plans in southern Yemen, pushing Britain towards an understanding with the United States. Britain has relinquished much of its control to domestic power brokers, but there is more to this than meets the eye. The UAE’s activities in the south are clear, as is Saudi Arabia’s efforts to regain its influence in Hadramawt. This is evident in its support for the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance, led by Amr bin Habrish, and the Hadramawt National Council, which it uses to counter the expansion of Saudi influence within the broader context of the British-American conflict in Yemen.
In short, Yemen is merely an arena of conflict between old colonial Britain and new colonial America. There is no internal conflict separate from this struggle; rather, it is a power struggle between America, through Saudi Arabia, and Britain, through the UAE. Each side employs local proxies to serve its patron's agenda. What transpired under the guise of Operation Decisive Storm was not truly aimed at eliminating the Houthis, but rather at readjusting influence in Yemen to serve American and British interests.

From the outset, it was clear that the military intervention in Yemen was not intended to restore legitimacy, but to achieve American objectives. This is evidenced by the Houthis’ continued presence in Sana’a and their expansion, facilitated by international envoys. Similarly, the Stockholm Agreement froze the military campaign and left the port of Hodeidah in Houthi hands, thus saving them from defeat. Furthermore, the Houthis are being continuously politically and media-wise promoted as a de facto power, while the Southern Transitional Council is portrayed as the savior of the South, despite its crimes against the people and its declared desire to normalize relations with Israel. What we are witnessing today in the north, where several tribes have declared their tribal mobilization, and raised their readiness for any conflict, taking up arms under the banner of defending Deen and independence, and supporting the oppressed against what they describe as the “American and Israeli enemy and its lackeys,” is being used as a tool of popular pressure to justify any military action against the Southern Transitional Council, and to protect Marib city. It is not a genuine response to the cries of the oppressed, but rather part of a division of roles among the proxies of America and Britain.

This prevailing illusion, that we are facing a conflict between north and south, or between legitimacy and the Transitional Council, is a delusion that obscures political reason. Focusing on regional and tribal affiliations distances the Islamic Ummah from the essence of Islamic Aqeedah (doctrine) and separates Muslims from the ruling governance of Islam.

While this mobilization indicates a rejection of the humiliating reality, it remains a reaction that serves the international colonialist conflict over Yemen. It is not founded on an aware Islamic political project, making it vulnerable to exploitation by regional powers or internal colonial agents. This popular rejection must be translated into an aware movement, conforming with Islamic Shariah Law, that moves towards establishing the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate), that unifies and does not divide.

Ultimately, what is happening in Yemen is an international power struggle, unrelated to the interests of the people. Instead, it is a struggle over plundering of their resources. The tools of colonialism are implementing its plans at the expense of Muslim blood.

The only radical solution is to move towards establishing the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate), which will unify Yemen and all Muslim lands under the banner of Islam, sever the hand of the kafir (disbelieving) colonialist and its agents from our lands, and liberate our resources from the hands of the West and its lackeys.