Turkey stepping up support to Brotherhood in Yemen

Rubeir al-Fares

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is interfering in Yemen, amid reports that warn against the dangers Turkish presence in Yemen poses to Arab security.

Erdoğan tries to control the Red Sea by gaining a foothold in Yemen.

Turkey has been introducing growing support to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islah party in Yemen. Islah now openly receives Turkish support.

According to media reports, Turkey is stepping up the smuggling of arms into Yemen. Turkish intelligence personnel also keep arriving in the war-torn state to give training to Muslim Brotherhood militants.

Muslim Brotherhood channels broadcast from Turkey are also voicing out support to the branch of the Islamist movement in Yemen.

Turkey is especially present in areas controlled by Islah party, especially through the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, widely known as IHH.

Humanitarian support is turning into a cloak for military and intelligence support. Turkish humanitarian organizations bankroll the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen under the guise of humanitarian support. Turkey does the same thing in other countries, including Iraq, Syria, Libya and Somalia.

The Yemeni Ministry of Defense announced recently the seizure of a Turkish arms shipment off the coast of Yemen, the fifth to arrive in the restive country from Turkey.

Turkey has been sending arms to Yemen since 2012. In November 2012, a Turkish commercial ship was arrested off the coast of Yemen. The ship carried thousands of pistols that were hid in biscuit packages.

The files of Turkish arms shipments to Yemen were closed after direct intervention from the U.S. ambassador in Yemen.

It is not clear why would the U.S. would interfere to make the Yemenis sweep the files of Turkish arms smuggling into Yemen under the carpet.