Yemen Monitor / Special / Seiyun:
Yemeni Shura Council Member Sheikh Salah Al-Batys launched a scathing attack on the recent moves by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Hadramawt Governorate, describing them as an attempt to “transfer the failed Aden experience” to the country’s largest governorate.
Batys, a prominent Yemeni politician and tribal sheikh in Hadramawt, strongly criticized the silence of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and the government towards bringing military reinforcements from outside the governorate. He stressed that Hadramawt “will not be a place for settling scores or misguided gambles.”
In a televised address regarding the rapidly evolving situation in the eastern governorate, Batys affirmed that Hadramawt today stands united with all its components. He stated that the armed forces and security apparatus affiliated with the Ministries of Defense and Interior are integrating with the “Nation’s Shield” forces and the company protection forces of the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance to defend the governorate’s security and stability against any external interference.
Batys emphasized that Hadramawt Governorate has made its decision and chosen the path of “resistance” to defend its land. He stressed that the people of the governorate, across all tribal, military, and political components, will not accept “invaders” or hegemony projects coming from outside the governorate’s administrative borders—an implicit reference to the recent military moves by the STC.
He asserted that the people of Hadramawt will not hesitate to defend their governorate, citing its history of resisting Portuguese invasion, British colonialism, and even its past refusal of subordination to the Imamate rule in Sana’a. Hadramawt remained the only entity that did not pay Zakat to the Imam, he noted, underscoring its historical independence.
“Anyone who tries to minimize Hadramawt and its cultural and civilizational diversity to a ‘provincial or regional project’ is ignorant of the reality and history of its people,” he said.
He clarified that this position is not individual but represents a broad Hadrami consensus. This spans from the leadership of the First Military District represented by Major General Saleh Tumais (Al-Ju’imalani), through the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance and its head Sheikh Amr bin Habrish, the tribal reference authority led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Kathiri, to the Hadramawt National Council and its Secretary-General Essam Al-Kathiri, along with all political parties that issued a unified statement taking responsibility before the Yemeni people.
Batys stressed that defending Hadramawt is a defense of the resources of all Yemenis, pointing to the protection of the “Petromasila” company as a strategic, sovereign resource that does not belong solely to Hadramis.
He denounced what he described as the “shameful silence” of the state’s highest institutions, questioning how armed groups could move from the temporary capital, Aden, pass through several governorates, and reach Hadramawt without any stance from the PLC, the government, or the Houses of Representatives and Shura.
Batys called on the PLC to break its silence and issue decisive orders for the immediate withdrawal of these forces and accountability for those who ordered their movement, instead of merely issuing political statements that the people of Hadramawt disregard.
Warning of the dangers of this escalation, Batys cautioned against the inflammatory rhetoric adopted by the STC against the people of the governorate, which has gone as far as threatening to repeat the “massacres of the 1970s.” He considered these actions reflective of confusion and a lack of vision.
He indicated that attempts to explode the military situation in Hadramawt directly serve the interests of the Houthi group, as if the STC is telling the Houthis, “What you couldn’t do in Hadramawt, we will do,” referring to the Houthis’ previous failure to control the governorate or permanently disrupt its ports.
He reaffirmed commitment to the “federal state” project in accordance with the outcomes of the National Dialogue and the three references, which stipulate an eastern region comprising Hadramawt, Shabwa, Al-Mahra, and Socotra. He categorically rejected Hadramawt being subordinate to any other region or project that tries to hijack it.
Concluding his remarks, Batys emphasized that the sole and fundamental battle is to restore the state from the Houthis, who have threatened Yemeni and Gulf interests and attacked the Al-Dabbah oil terminal. He stressed that Hadramawt will prevail and will never be a subordinate camp for either the STC or the Houthi militias. He also revealed ongoing mediation efforts to contain the situation, noting that Sheikh Amr bin Habrish, head of the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance, will return to his position immediately upon the withdrawal of the invading forces.
It’s worth mentioned that Hadramawt Governorate (eastern Yemen) is witnessing rising tensions between government forces supported by the Saudi-backed, presidentially decreed “Nation’s Shield” forces and the military formations of the STC arriving from Al-Dhale and Lahj.
Hadramawt is Yemen’s largest economic and geographic powerhouse and represents an arena of intense rivalry. The people of Hadramawt, across tribal and political components, reject involvement in the “secession” project championed by the STC. They insist on Hadramawt being part of a federal state or an independent status that guarantees their right to resources and sovereign decision-making.
