Yemen: Riyadh looks on as jihadists split with southern allies, gain ground in Aden

The tenuous alliance of convenience that brought Southern Movement (Hirak) factions and Islamist militants together in Aden broke as soon as Operation Golden Arrows declared its mission accomplished. The alliance to repel Houthi rebels and army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh from the port city temporarily set aside the deep differences between young secessionists and hardline elements affiliated to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) or Islamic State (IS, or Daesh), along with Salafists drawn from various Yemeni religious institutes, including Dar Al-Hadith in Dammaj, Sadah.