With the UAE’s announcement on December 30, 2025 of the withdrawal of its remaining counterterrorism units from Yemen, a ten-year chapter of Emirati engagement concludes, wrote Abdullah Rashid Al Hammadi in gulfnews.com
Al Hammadi added “The scope of the UAE’s engagement extended beyond conventional military metrics. Emirati armed forces personnel, alongside national institutions, contributed to what can be described as a comprehensive security-humanitarian model.
Emirati forces were not solely engaged in liberation operations and counterterrorism missions; from the earliest stages of Operation Decisive Storm, they were integral to humanitarian relief efforts that alleviated civilian suffering. This dual role—security provider and humanitarian actor—formed a defining feature of the UAE’s approach.
Since March 2015, the UAE’s role in Yemen evolved along three simultaneous and interlinked tracks:
1. Military Operations aimed at supporting legitimate authority and combating terrorist organizations.
2. Humanitarian Relief and Civilian Stabilization, focused on restoring basic services and normalizing life in liberated areas.
3. Security Sector Support and Counterterrorism, ensuring the protection of liberated territories and preventing extremist resurgence.
Emirati forces also played a key role in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid into conflict zones and evacuating thousands of war-wounded Yemenis for medical treatment abroad at the UAE’s expense.
Through international organizations—particularly the United Nations—the UAE delivered nearly US$8 billion in humanitarian and stabilization assistance. Efforts included the reconstruction of hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure such as water and electricity systems, in addition to the distribution of tens of thousands of tons of food and essential supplies.
A study published by the European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies (ECCI) in Bonn identifies the UAE as a model of soft power built upon humanitarian and development assistance.
Al Hammadi concluded that the UAE consistently articulated its objectives as protecting Yemen and its people from Houthi aggression, combating terrorism, strengthening Yemeni security, stability, and sovereignty, and contributing to regional and international peace and security.