YEMEN (Islam Online) - The armed clashes on the Yemen-Saudi border that took place early this week demolished the atmosphere of optimism that had been prevalent recently.
The border dispute is 60 years old and has cost the countries two wars, one in 1934 and one in the late 1970s.
Two Yemenite soldiers were killed by Saudi soldiers at Khasm Al-Jamal in Hadramout province, according to the Yemenite press. It was revenge for the killing of two Saudi soldiers the week before after a heated debate between Yemenite and Saudi soldiers.
The two sides disagree on the border in an area of eastern Yemen, and not Mt. Thar, which Saudi refuses to concede because it overlooks the city of Najran. The two sides reached an agreement on Mt. Thar last month.
The border killings had an immediate diplomatic effect. A high-level delegation, headed by Yemenite Prime Minister Abdul Karim Aryani, delayed a planned visit to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, indefinitely.
In the 1934 war, Saudi Arabia annexed Asir, Najran and Jezan. Until recently, Yemen did not recognize Saudi sovereignty over those areas. In the 1970s war, Saudi Arabic annexed Wadi'a, Sharura and Kharakhir provinces in southern Yemen. Light skirmishes took place after that for more than 15 years.
In 1995, the two sides signed a memo of understanding under which Yemen accepted Saudi sovereignty over all of the annexed territories. The two sides thought they were done forever when they signed last month's agreement on Mt. Thar, but now a new flashpoint has cropped up.
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