For years, the faces of the soldiers in Aden, in Yemen's south, have remained largely unchanged. The same is true moving into Lahj governorate, and along the west coast in Taiz, where the same members of the National Resistance Forces (NRF) have continued to hold their positions.
Over the past eight years, the NRF operated alongside the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), with the backing of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to which they were firmly loyal. As recently as late December, they either fought in or supported an offensive against forces aligned with the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).
Today, however, the NRF, a well-equipped anti-Houthi force led by Tarek Saleh, a nephew of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have shifted their allegiance to Saudi Arabia.
Fighters who remain loyal to the STC and its former UAE-backed agenda have since retreated to the STC stronghold in al-Dhale governorate and to pockets of Lahj.
“We work under the leadership on the ground. We used to receive guidance from Emirati forces, so our loyalty was to the UAE. Today, we receive our orders from the Saudis in Aden, so our loyalty is to them,” Ammar, a 49-year-old veteran who joined the army two decades ago, told Middle East Eye.
