Yemen Monitor / Mukalla / Exclusive:
The Governor of Hadramawt issued a sharply worded message on Sunday to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), calling on it to “know its size” and to stop infringing on the governorate’s sovereign interests.
This came in his first official comment upon his arrival in the governorate, following the withdrawal of Emirati forces from oil facilities and vital sites in Wadi Hadramawt, under pressure from a deadline set by the Yemeni government with the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In press statements commenting on the rapidly unfolding developments in eastern Yemen, the governor said: “The STC must know its size. We are in the process of demanding that the higher authorities take firm decisions to put an end to attempts to tamper with Hadramawt’s stability.”
The official accused the Emirati side of attempting to take control of vital interests in Hadramawt, including the PetroMasila oil facility, and of seeking to control tax revenues by opening independent accounts. He stressed that the vigilance of the security and military services in the valley, supported by the local authority, prevented this from happening.
He emphasized that the local authority and the security and military forces in the valley were fully prepared to enforce the withdrawal of the violating forces by “coercive force” had those parties not backed down at the last moments.
The governor revealed Riyadh’s pivotal role in defusing the crisis, noting that the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement granting Emirati forces a 24-hour deadline to leave was a “clear and decisive signal.”
He confirmed that those forces did indeed withdraw in “record time,” contrary to the expectations of parties that had been betting on remaining and maintaining control over the governorate’s resources.
The governor stressed that the local authority exerted strenuous efforts with the Presidential Leadership Council and the Saudi side to avoid armed confrontation and to spare the blood of Hadramawt’s citizens. However, he said that the “insistence on bypassing state institutions” necessitated a firm stance, which ultimately led to the full restoration of control over vital sites.
