Washington Affirms Support for Hadramout’s Stability and Calls for Unity to Confront Houthi Threats
Yemen Monitor/Al-Mukalla/Special:
The U.S. has affirmed the importance of maintaining security and stability in Hadramout Governorate, stressing the need to unify political and social efforts to resolve disputes peacefully and confront the threats posed by the Houthi group.
This came during a virtual meeting between the Governor of Hadramout, Mabkhout Mubarak bin Madhi, and the US Ambassador to Yemen, Stephen Fagin, where the two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of security and counter-terrorism, and to support legitimate state institutions.
Governor Bin Madhi pointed out that the stability of Hadramout is a fundamental pillar for the stability of Yemen as a whole, stressing the importance of international support in facing the security and economic challenges facing the country.
For his part, Ambassador Fagin praised the efforts of the local authority in Hadramout to maintain security and combat extremism, affirming his country’s commitment to supporting the stability of the governorate and promoting sustainable development, especially in light of the ninth anniversary of the liberation of the Hadramout coast from elements of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
This meeting comes amid escalating tensions in Hadramout Governorate, the largest and richest in oil among Yemen’s governorates, against the backdrop of the “Hadramout Tribal Alliance” intensifying its activities under the banner of demanding self-rule for Hadramout and their rejection of subordination to any authority, whether in northern or southern Yemen.
The Southern Transitional Council (separatist), which, with Emirati support, adopts a project calling for the separation of southern Yemen from its north, rejects the Hadramout Tribal Alliance’s project and considers the governorate part of the state project it seeks to establish in the south and east of the country, which has been ravaged by war since 2015.
For more than nine months, Hadramout has witnessed political tension and tribal mobilization against the local authority and the central government, led by the Hadramout Tribal Alliance, against the backdrop of rights and political demands related to the living conditions of the governorate’s people.
Recently, the crisis has escalated between the Hadramout Tribal Alliance and the Hadramout Inclusive Conference on one hand, and the local authority and the central government on the other.
The Alliance and the Conference have clearly escalated their actions against the local authority and the government since July, due to what the Alliance and the Conference considered mismanagement of public affairs in the governorate and the deterioration of services.
