Yemen's conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions to the brink of famine, erupted in 2014 when the government was forced out of the capital Sanaa by Iran-aligned Huthi rebels, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention.
In August trouble re-erupted on a separate front, as southern secessionists seized control of the city of Aden, the internationally recognised government's temporary capital.
The UAE -- a key part of the Saudi-led coalition helping fight the Huthis in Yemen's main conflict arena -- trained and remains close to separatist troops, signalling rifts within the Gulf powers' intervention.
In a bid to end the "civil war within a war", Saudi Arabia brokered a power-sharing deal with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) under which the government would return to Aden.
The Riyadh Agreement signed on November 5 also stipulated the creation within 30 days of a new 24-member cabinet with equal representation for the southerners.
Yemen's prime minister Maeen Abdulmalik returned to the city last month but the new cabinet has yet to materialise, along with other key reforms including integrating secessionists into a central command structure.
- 'Very ambitious' -
"The timeline of the Riyadh Agreement was always very ambitious. It is no surprise to see deadlines slip," Elisabeth Kendall, Yemen expert and senior research fellow at Oxford University, told AFP.
"The bigger question is: are the promises simply being delayed, or are they ultimately not achievable?"
The two sides say they are committed to the Riyadh Agreement but have traded accusations over who is responsible for the failure to meet the deadline to form a new government.
STC spokesman Nizar Haitham said on Thursday that Yemen's government was "deviating" from the agreement and mobilising its troops in the south, an accusation the government denied.
However in recent days an STC official told AFP that work to implement the Riyadh Agreement was ongoing and that there has been "significant progress" in implementing military and security arrangements.
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