Saudis return border areas to Yemen
Yemen has started recovering territory handed back by neighbouring Saudi Arabia in accordance with an agreement signed four years ago ending their long-standing border dispute.
After regaining control on Sunday of three border areas in the Hadhramaut province, including an airport in Budaya, Sanaa continued on Monday taking over five more positions.
An additional five will be under Yemen’s control on Tuesday, the state news agency SABA reported.
An official handing over ceremony was held on Sunday in Budaya, a tiny desert village previously in Saudi Arabian territory.
In May, Germany’s Hansa Luftbild completed the demarcation of the Yemeni-Saudi border after signing a $986m contract with the two states in April 2001 to demarcate the land along their frontiers.
Saudi Arabian authorities fear that many of the dissidents blamed for a string of bombings and shootings in the kingdom over the past year use the border with Yemen to slip in and out, and to smuggle in arms and explosives.
Saudi Arabia frequently announces arrests and arms seizures along the 1800km frontier.