SANAA (Debriefer)--Battles between government and Houthi forces have been continuing for a second month in Yemen's northeastern provinces of Marib and Jawf. The Houthis have made slow but important advances as they are seeking to capture the oil-rich provinces.
Meanwhile, the absence of defence minister Mohammed Al-Maqdishi and chief of staff Saghir bin Aziz from the media scene and the field is weird and raising questions.
Observers argued that they would not keep silent and stay away amid what can be described as the fiercest battles since the war broke out in late 2014. This thing can't happen in any other country, observers said.
President and vice president are calling Marib governor, Sultan Al-Aradah, to get updates about the battles, but where are the military chiefs who should be there and do this?
Observers are asking whether the absence of the defence minister and chief of staff is linked to a plot against Marib within a huge project to subjugate the legitimate government and all Yemeni forces to serve international expansionism goals. Member states of a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen are orchestrating the plot, they said. They want the tribes in Marib to face their fate alone, they said.
Whatever the case, no one can downplay the negative impacts of their absence on the fighters or loyalists of the government.
Military expert, Najib Al-Jaberi, said the Yemeni government is facing mounting pressure as the Houthis are pushing deeper into Marib which stands as the symbol and weight of sovereignty.
"This is clear. But the absence of the defence minister and chief of staff during this fateful battle is beyond understanding and makes the situation more complicated," Al-Jaberi said.
He did not rule out that there are disagreements among officials in the government amid polarization of army chiefs by the United Arab Emirates, which is a member state in the Saudi-led coalition.
This gulf state is serving its interests and operating in Yemen away from the objectives of the coalition. It has created security and military forces and is supporting politicians in the south that are allo operating under the umbrella of the southern transitional council.
This council has been fighting the government and so far captured the interim capital Aden and other southern regions, including the Socotra archipelago which the UAE has been eying for decades.
Other observers argued that the absence of the military chiefs comes within security precautions after attempted assassinations and rocket attacks on their convoys and places and Houthi infiltration of the military telecommunications network.
The latest appearance of Al-Maqdishi was two months ago when he visited the seventh military command and military units in the area of Nihem east of the capital Sanaa. And the latest statement by bin Aziz was a week later. The two have not appeared again since then.