Local Editor
Saudi authorities differentiated between Yemeni pilgrims based on their geographical location in the country, circulating identification cards for northern and southern Yemenis taking part in the annual pilgrimage.
"Saudi Arabia issues identification cards for Yemeni pilgrims and deals with the pilgrims of Yemen as if they are from two countries,” a Yemeni activist said on Twitter.
“And they say they are keen on protecting the unity, security and stability of Yemen. They say what they do not do,” he added.
The controversial move contradicts the kingdom’s official policy to stand behind a united Yemen amid unrest in the country, as separatists in the south of the country captured the temporary coastal city of Aden.
For the past five years both camps, backed by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have been engaged in a war against the Houthi revolutionaries.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lead a coalition backing the resigned regime of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.
Saudi Arabia views the Houthis as a major national security threat, in part because the rebels have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting its capital and other cities.
The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south - which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia - than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
