The Fortified Walls of “Ma’ashiq” Built on Promises: Aden’s “Security Pluralism” on Paper vs. “Unilateralism” Under the Ashes

Yemen Monitor / Analysis Unit / Exclusive:

The temporary capital, Aden, is witnessing a dramatic shift in its military influence map with the entry of the “Nation’s Shield” (Dir’ Al-Watan) forces as a new pivotal player in sovereign zones and strategic entrances. According to official sources, this move comes as part of diligent efforts to end “unilateral security control” and inaugurate a phase of “security multipolarity” under the state’s umbrella.

However, a deep gap is emerging between this strategic deployment and the reality of actual control on the ground. Recent events involving the storming of the “Ma’ashiq” Presidential Palace revealed the fragility of the new arrangements in the face of influence from forces backed by Abu Dhabi. This places the city before a sharp paradox: a rising institutional facade met by a deeply rooted factional depth that refuses to retreat.

An Attempt to Re-engineer the Field

The features of the new security map in Aden began to take shape through “surgical” movements aimed at redrawing lines of influence. Informed security sources told Yemen Monitor that the “Nation’s Shield” forces—in coordination with the “Southern Giants” and the “National Security” forces (formerly the Security Belt)—have indeed taken over vital city entrances and several important security points within districts, with reinforced presence in the Crater and Khormaksar districts.

This positioning was not random; it targeted control over the eastern gateway linking Aden to the provinces of Abyan, Shabwah, and Hadramawt reaching the Omani and Saudi borders, as well as the northern gateway to control the main supply and movement arteries leading to the capital.

In a statement to Yemen Monitor, a high-ranking government official in the Ma’ashiq Palace described these movements as a “surgical step to break the unilateral control imposed by the Security Belt forces for long years.” The official stressed that this deployment is a top priority for securing the “sovereign square,” especially following attempts to storm the Presidential Palace by supporters of the Transitional Council. These tensions provided the political cover to deploy forces described as “neutral,” such as the Giants forces led by Presidential Leadership Council member Abdulrahman al-Mahrami (Abu Zara’a), who seeks to establish himself as the leader of separatist forces as an alternative to Aidarous al-Zoubaidi, head of the (dissolved) Southern Transitional Council.

From Factions to Institutions

Through this new distribution of tasks, the high leadership aspires to transform Aden from a city of “factions” into a city of “institutions.” According to government sources, this direction is based on decoupling security tasks from sub-loyalties and establishing the concept of shared “Federal Security.”

The government official explained to Yemen Monitor that the goal is not to exclude a specific party as much as it is to lay the foundation of “power distribution to ensure no single faction monopolizes the capital’s decision-making or uses weapons to impose narrow political agendas,” in a phase that is supposed to precede the removal of military camps and the integration of all factions.

It is clear from the talk of Yemeni officials in Ma’ashiq Palace or the local authority in Aden that there is a hesitation to consider their actions a full restructuring of the previous situation or an expulsion of the Southern Transitional Council’s forces. Instead, it appears to be a policy of containment managed by the “Joint Operations Room”—a step toward managing the previous status quo rather than replacing it.

The “Joint Operations” Umbrella vs. “Factional Sovereignty”

Aden’s new security strategy relies on activating a “Joint Operations Room” as a central tool to unify field decision-making and prevent overlapping authorities. This operations room functions under the supervision of the security committee headed by the governor of Aden, in coordination with the Ministries of Defense and Interior, to ensure the integration of multiple forces (Nation’s Shield, Giants Brigades, and National Security) within a unified plan for the coming phase.

An Interior Ministry official told Yemen Monitor that this administrative approach aims to “transform military plurality from a source of friction into a means of defensive integration.” However, this ambition collides with what is known as the “factional sovereignty dilemma,” as field rhetoric still reflects sharp differences in interpretation. While officials describe it as a “reorganization,” leaders within National Security insist it is merely a process of “support and assistance,” a disparity that underscores the sensitivity of the stage and the need for mutual trust beyond narrow calculations.

For his part, Aden Deputy Governor Abdulraouf Al-Saqqaf said these arrangements demonstrate the state’s seriousness in empowering its institutions. Meanwhile, Minister of State and Governor of Aden Abdulrahman Sheikh announced that local authorities are proceeding with the gradual and carefully planned removal of military camps from the city.

Officials who spoke to Yemen Monitor stressed that the success of the Joint Operations Room depends entirely on the willingness of parties to abandon “factional sovereignty” in favor of “national sovereignty,” ensuring that no armed forces remain inside the city except police and public security units tasked with protecting citizens.

The officials and sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

“Ma’ashiq” as Witness: When Arrangements Collide with Power Realities

Despite the momentum surrounding the deployment of new forces, the storming of the Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace on February 19 revealed the extent of control still retained by the Southern Transitional Council (STC). STC leadership in Aden reiterated its rejection of the government’s presence after the cabinet held its first meeting at Ma’ashiq that same morning, prompting the attempted assault on the presidential palace.

The situation on the ground indicates that what has occurred amounts largely to a policy of containment rather than a decisive resolution of the security and military file. These events were seen as a natural consequence of retaining the same figures in charge of sensitive portfolios, allowing the continued use of disorder as a tool against the government.

While Nation’s Shield and the Giants Brigades seek to consolidate their influence, questions arise about their effectiveness in confronting STC-affiliated formations such as the Storm Forces, Support and Reinforcement units, and the Security Belt.

Field realities suggest that the presence of Nation’s Shield forces remains largely “symbolic” in many locations, including entrances to Aden, despite their formal deployment. Meanwhile, existing security and military leadership structures remain largely unchanged in both command and doctrine. Notably, the director of Crater police station reportedly appeared among the front ranks of those who stormed Ma’ashiq, reflecting the persistence of old loyalties within security institutions.

In addition, the path led by coalition adviser Falah Al-Shahrani faces challenges in translating the “three-phase plan” into tangible steps. Although restructuring security forces and evacuating camps has been discussed, the security file in Aden shows no fundamental change in dismantling STC-aligned structures.

This became evident when Security Belt forces refused to hand over “Aden perimeter” checkpoints to Nation’s Shield forces—since their arrival in January—opting instead for coordination and symbolic co-presence. As a result, the new forces have had little meaningful impact in sensitive frontline areas, creating a vacuum in decision-making and control that STC forces exploited to reorganize and carry out their attempts.

Thus, the Ma’ashiq storming was not an isolated incident but the natural outcome of a prolonged containment approach that allowed the UAE and the STC to reposition themselves on the ground and impose realities beyond the state’s authority—at a moment when Aden was expected to be restored as a temporary capital under the exclusive control of official institutions.

Aden at a Crossroads

Today, Aden stands at a historic crossroads: either the success of the “coordinated pluralism” model led by Nation’s Shield and the Giants Brigades in establishing sustainable stability, or a collision between the expansion ambitions of the new forces and the contraction fears of the previous ones—potentially foreshadowing hidden rounds of conflict.

The true measure of success will be the government’s ability to translate this security calm into tangible improvements in daily life—particularly stable electricity supply and regular salary payments—as the political price of this new security balance.