An enormous column of black smoke rose a large part of the day, this Monday, January 17; in the cloudless sky of Abu Dhabi (where it was 29°). It was caused by the explosion of several tank trucks near the storage areas of the national oil company. Then by a fire in a construction area near the international airport of this city of one and a half million inhabitants, which is also the political capital of the United Arab Emirates, east of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Emirati authorities claim that the explosion of the trucks killed three Pakistani and Indian employees (there are many in the Emirates). Both the explosion and the fire appear to have been caused by drones launched from Yemen, much further south. Perhaps from Sanaa, almost 1,500 km away. These shots were indeed claimed by the Houthi rebels, who control Sanaa and are at open war with the government coalition supported by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. This unprecedented attack confirms the widespread use of drones in ongoing armed conflicts: this is also the case in Ethiopia and Libya.
But above all, it constitutes a first because it targets the Emirates, which had remained relatively spared by the conflict until now, even though they are directly involved in it. With Saudi Arabia, they are the main support of the government coalition opposed to the Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran even if Tehran denies it. But as much Saudi Arabia has already suffered multiple drone attacks, with many civilian victims, as much the Emirati soil had so far escaped these acts of reprisal. And the Emirates continued to be able to boast of being a haven of peace in this so violent Middle East.
In recent weeks, the situation has changed and the war is increasingly spilling over from the borders of Yemen. The Houthis are now openly attacking the Emirates. For example, in early January in the Red Sea, they boarded an Emirati ship that was supposed to be carrying humanitarian aid but which, according to them, was carrying military equipment. No matter how much the UN protested, it didn’t change anything.
All this is indicative of a new escalation in this conflict which has lasted for more than seven years. The fighting began in the summer of 2014. And the war in Yemen has already caused more than 375,000 direct or indirect victims, due to famine or disease. The UN estimates the number of displaced people at 16 million. And international aid is struggling to arrive, partly for lack of funding. It is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world today.
In addition, fighting has intensified since early December. Pro-government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have launched a new offensive. It caused the displacement of at least 15,000 additional people. And France, we recall, is indirectly involved in this conflict, since it sells a lot of weapons to the Emirates: the latest contract to date, last month, 80 Rafale. Several investigations have shown that these weapons were regularly used for offensive purposes.