Muslim Brotherhood and the domination of Yemen
Islah, the party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen, has apparently succeeded in convincing Saudi Arabia that it can defeat the pro-Iran Houthis.
This comes after the United Arab Emirates succeeded in sabotaging an
attack by pro-Brotherhood militias in the city of Aden.
The party has been controlling the government of Yemeni President
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi for several years now. It succeeded in controlling a
number of cities in southern Yemen. It also opened a new bank, started giving
Turkey access into Yemen and enabled its members to occupy important positions
in state institutions.
According to analysts, Islah also controls decision-making inside the
legitimate government of Yemen.
This can explain the statements made by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in
which he said his country would not allow Islah and warlords to exhaust the
economy of the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, Spokesman of the Transitional Southern Council, Saleh
al-Noud, said the only way for the legitimate government of Yemen to solve its
problems was for all the members of Islah Party to get out of this government.
Houthi allies
Islah, observers say hampers the formation of a united front against
the Houthis. They add that the Brotherhood's party also obstructs the work of
the Saudi-led alliance and defames it by showing that it has failed to achieve positive
results on the ground.
The party also continually tries to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates, the observers said.
When t Houthis staged their coup against Hadi in 2015, sites controlled
by Islah were handed over to the Houthis very easily and without fighting,
especially in the northern Yemeni province of Amran.
Despite the military capabilities it possesses, the party did not move
to prevent the late Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh from hammering out an
alliance with the Houthis.
According to the Emirati news portal, al-Ain, in 2015, Islah members
fight side by side with the Houthis. Yemeni political analyst and researcher
Noman al-Mesfari says the Brotherhood has turned into a cancer in Yemen that
aims only to consume the Saudi-led alliance.
Islah raised many question marks by its actions in the past years. The
party sometimes declares support to the Saudi-led alliance. Other times, it
cooperates with the Houthis.
Yemeni army sources revealed in 2017 the presence of the remains of
Islah Party members side by side with the remains of Houthi fighters in
battlefields.
Playing all parties
Islah played Hadi because it believes that a military victory in Yemen
by the Saudi-led alliance would reduce its political gains. The party pushes
for a political solution to the crisis because a political solution will
naturally include them, whereas a military settlement of the conflict will
exclude them.
Islah backed Operation Decisive Storm because it would bring them back
to the political scene in Yemen.
In a statement, the party said defeating the Houthis would change the
balance of power in Syria and Iraq.
Saudi position
The Brotherhood's relations with Saudi Arabia worsened following 2011.
Islah Party leaders tried to meet Saudi officials several times, including in
2014, but failed. The two sides communicated with each other only after sana'a
fell down in the hands of the Houthis.
Following the downfall of Amran, the Brotherhood staged a protest, in
which they raised the flags of Saudi Arabia and banners on which they thanked
the kingdom for providing Yemen with petroleum products.
Hadi came to the political surface in Yemen after the 2011 uprising
against Saleh, even as he did not have the political prowess enjoyed by the
ousted Yemeni president.
When the Saudi-led coalition started attacking Houthi positions, Islah
Party only issued a statement in which it declared support of the coalition.
Then suddenly, Islah started making conspiracies that only aimed to
divide Yemen. He collaborated with al-Qaeda. Documents found by Arab coalition
troops in Shabwah city showed the presence of coordination between Islah and
al-Qaeda.
