Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Senior leaders within the Security Belt Forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) have submitted their resignations in the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Yemen’s Abyan Governorate.
The resignations come amid escalating security tensions and intensifying disputes between rival security factions of the council in the city.
Informed sources confirmed that Major Jihad Haidarah, the Security Belt’s chief security officer in Zinjibar District, submitted his resignation to the Security Belt commander in the governorate, Haidarah Al-Sayyid.
The sources added that Major Nasser Warid also resigned from his position as commander of the Emergency and Rapid Response Battalion of the Security Belt in Zinjibar.
Security sources indicated that these developments come as tensions in Zinjibar have been rising since the beginning of the week.
According to the sources, the tensions erupted due to repeated attempts by rival factions within the Security Belt to impose unauthorized levies on vehicle drivers at security checkpoints, under various labels such as “improvement fees” and “frontline support.”
These attempts sparked sharp disputes among the factions and nearly led to armed confrontations.
The situation further deteriorated following the issuance of a security order to replace Zinjibar’s Security Belt commander, Abdul Sanad. The order tasked Haidarah Al-Sayyid with implementing the decision and appointing a new commander for the district’s Security Belt forces.
