Yemen Monitor / Mukalla / Special:
An official in the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance launched a scathing attack on Presidential Leadership Council member Faraj Salmin Al-Bahsani, considering his recent statements a blatant departure from the “unity of sovereign decision-making” and from what was agreed upon within the halls of the Presidential Council.
The head of the Alliance’s Media Committee, Sabri Salmin bin Makhashen, said that Al-Bahsani “has become a real burden; calls for his departure and dismissal stem from his possession of a large record of violations and his deviation from the national consensus.”
In a televised interview followed by Yemen Monitor, bin Makhashen said: “Al-Bahsani’s recent statements contradict what was agreed upon within the Presidential Council, and they do not represent the unity of sovereign decision-making nor the will of the people of Hadramawt.”
He added: “We have seen Al-Bahsani play the role of spokesperson for the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in attacking the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance, which has completely stripped him of any popular support.”
In a related context, the Alliance welcomed the directives of the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, to the Public Prosecutor to investigate the file of forcibly disappeared persons and to close illegal prisons.
Bin Makhashen revealed the existence of dozens of victims who were subjected to brutal torture in prisons described as being no less horrific than “Saydnaya Prison” in Syria under Bashar al-Assad.
He said: “The prisons that exist [in Hadramawt] are no less atrocious than Saydnaya, but the lack of sufficient media coverage has concealed the truths that are being uncovered day after day.”
He added: “There are grave crimes committed against humanity, including storming homes in the middle of the night and abducting men and children. There are dozens of forcibly disappeared persons whose mothers are searching for them.”
On the political front, bin Makhashen confirmed that Hadramawt is currently seeking to unify its ranks through joint coordination among the “Tribal Alliance,” the “Hadramawt Comprehensive Conference,” and the “Hadrami National Council,” to end the state of “guardianship and dependency” imposed on the governorate for decades.
The Alliance official explained that the success of any upcoming “Southern–Southern” dialogue depends on the presence of clear international and regional guarantees. He praised the pivotal role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the commitments of Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Defense, to resolving the Yemeni issue and ensuring the success of the political track away from obstruction attempts by certain parties serving destabilizing agendas.
He concluded: “There are parties (such as Al-Bahsani) that do not want the dialogue to succeed and seek the continuation of chaos and fighting to implement their own agendas. The people of Hadramawt today are working to unify their ranks and voice, and the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance is currently leading a strategy to bring all components together under a single banner.”
