Foreign intelligence conflict threatens to erupt in Aden

Yemen Press Agency

21-06-2025

SANAA, June 15 (YPA) – Turkish intelligence has established a foothold in the Yemeni governorates of Aden and Hadramout to conduct its activities in southern Yemen, assisted by leaders from the Islah Party within the Leadership Council and the government loyal to the Saudi-led coalition.
The governorates of Aden, Lahj, Hadramout, and the areas extending along the Gulf of Aden and up to Bab al-Mandab have witnessed accelerating competition between relief programs run by the Turkish Red Crescent and the Emirates Red Crescent. Both sides conceal their intelligence activities under the guise of humanitarian work to enhance their influence in the region.
Over the past two years, Turkish intelligence has emerged as an active player in competition with the Emirates Red Crescent by providing humanitarian aid, distributing sacrificial meat, and distributing fishing equipment, with the aim of gaining the loyalty of local communities.
Southern political sources explained that the activities carried out by the Turkish Crescent in the southern regions are purely intelligence-based, aiming to achieve political goals in cooperation with government leaders and officials linked to the coalition, in an effort to restore the influence of the Islah Party, which has been declining since 2019.
The sources indicated that Turkey is relying on these social activities after the failure of its military and security attempts to strengthen its presence in recent years.
The intelligence competition between Turkey and the UAE has become clear, especially in light of both sides' efforts to achieve their political agendas through humanitarian assistance. This has exacerbated the fragility of the living and service landscape amid the complete absence of a role for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).
The deteriorating living conditions and the inability of the coalition-backed government have transformed Aden and other areas into centers of regional and international intelligence competition involving parties such as Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the Israeli entity, in addition to Turkey and the UAE.
Tensions also extend across the western coast of Yemen in the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, which overlooks the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising fears of an escalating conflict over strategic influence.
Turkish and Emirati intelligence interests have recently emerged in governorates such as Aden, Lahj, Hadramout, and Abyan through formal humanitarian channels, within the context of a deeper competition for influence.
Turkey has sought to reshape its image in the Arab world using intellectual and media outlets, such as promoting historical series, while confronting the heavy legacy of the practices of the former Ottoman era.
On the other hand, the example of the Yemeni island of Socotra illustrates how humanitarian efforts initially transformed into direct military deployments led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, in partnership with 'Israel,' which established a military base on Abd al-Kuri Island after normalizing relations in 2020.
Politicians warn of the possibility of a repetition of the Emirati-Turkish scenario in southern Yemen, where both parties seek to gain local loyalties through aid in the absence of state authority.
This competition raises questions about the future of foreign influence in the region and its potential impact on local communities, especially with the continued manipulation of living conditions and services and the implementation of systematic starvation policies in Aden and the rest of the southern governorates.