UAE-backed troops take control of Aden airport from Yemen government

Yemen's Transport Minister Saleh al-Gabwani said on Sunday that his internationally-recognised government did not have security control over the airport in the southern city of Aden - the authority's temporary capital.

Gabwani told the press, after meeting with the airport authorities and workers: "We do not have control over the airport in terms of security. Aden's security forces have taken control of it, who belong to non-governmental forces."

He said that security forces loyal to the UAE have taken control of all areas of Aden, except for the presidential palace.

The minister said there were major problems at the airport due to this.

Read more: The UAE In Yemen: With a lot of help from its mercs

Aden became engulfed in clashes between Saudi-backed government forces and UAE-backed southern separatist rebels in January.

The in-fighting threw the international coalition battle against the Houthi rebels, who control the capital, into chaos.

"After President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi travelled to the Abu Dhabi in June, and before Interior Minister Ahmed al-Misri travels to the UAE," Gabwani added. 

"There will be a solution to this problem."

Misri has previously hinted the UAE coalition forces are fully occupying Aden and told American PBS network that Abu Dhabi effectively runs the coastal city.

"The Emiratis have helped us, but now you cannot go to the port without the UAE permission. You cannot go to the airport without the UAE permission. You cannot even enter or leave Aden without the UAE permission," he said earlier this year.

"The alliance originally came to help us fight the Houthis, so the Saudis and the Emiratis should be where the Houthis are, which means that once a region is liberated, the legitimate government should be allowed to rule it," he added.