Grateful Yemenis pay tribute to Emirati martyrs with murals on Aden’s walls
Yemeni artists paid tribute to Emirati soldiers who died liberating towns and cities in their country in a show of gratitude for National Day.
Graffiti murals covered the walls of a district of Aden, portraying the faces of UAE servicemen who have given their lives since 2015.
Summer Baobaid, 29, an architect, and her sister Shada Baobaid, 27, a graphic designer, said the faces and names had found a place in the consciousness of Aden’s people. One mural portrays First Lt Abdulaziz Al Kaabi, the first Emirati to die in Yemen in July 2015.
“They died to grant us life and peace,” Summer told The National as she painted Al Kaabi’s portrait in the Mualla neighbourhood of Aden.
His men were sent into Aden as the Saudi-led Coalition forces fought to take back the city from Houthi rebels, who overthrew the government months before.
“He was smart and brave ... he was the first UAE serviceman who lay down his life to clear our city of the Houthi rebels,” she said. “They aren’t ordinary people. They left their loved ones behind and came to Yemen to pay with their lives to restore our country.”
Summer said the people of her neighbourhood would teach their children about the liberation.
“I want to tell the families of the UAE’s heroes our hearts are constantly with them – we always pray for them, and we will teach the coming generations
They died to grant us life and peace. They aren’t ordinary people. They left their loved ones behind and came to Yemen to pay with their lives SUMMER BAOBAID Yemeni architect
about the ultimate sacrifice made,” she said. Summer, Shada and their younger brother Obeid, 24, are known for their drawings and graffiti depicting the conflict.
They have been threatened in the past by Al Qaeda for showing support for the coalition. In late 2015, the three drew a mural to remember the 50-plus Emiratis killed in the attack on Marib on September 4.
“At the beginning they used to erase our drawings and leave their threats for us,” Summer said. “Then a year ago, gunmen in a minibus shot at my brother while he was drawing in Khormaksar city in Aden. My brother left Aden for Sudan because we felt that his life isn’t safe. ”
Since then, six 100-strong counter-terrorism forces trained by the UAE have stamped out Al Qaeda elements and brought safety to the streets.
The UAE brought the bulk of its troops home from Yemen in late October, with a number left behind to maintain counter-terrorism operations as well as to support humanitarian and development work.