Yemeni President Departs for Saudi Arabia, Orders Investigation Committee into Hadramawt Events
Yemen Monitor – Newsroom:
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chief, Rashad al-Alimi, left the interim capital Aden on Friday morning for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to hold high-level consultations with regional and international stakeholders, amid rapidly unfolding military and political developments in the eastern provinces, chiefly Hadramawt and Al-Mahra.
In a statement to the state-run Yemen News Agency (SABA), al-Alimi said the Council and the government remain committed to the principles of national partnership and collective responsibility in completing the tasks of the transitional phase, in accordance with its core references—most notably the power-transfer declaration and the Riyadh Agreement.
Al-Alimi stressed that the state alone is responsible for protecting its national institutions, safeguarding citizens’ interests, and preserving the unity of sovereign decision-making. He rejected any unilateral measures that could encroach on the powers of the government or local authorities, undermine security and stability, or jeopardize economic recovery and growing international confidence.
He emphasized that the battle to restore state institutions and end the Houthi coup remains the nation’s top priority, warning against becoming distracted by internal disputes that, as he put it, “serve the Iranian project and its destructive tools.”
The president hailed Saudi Arabia’s efforts in reaching the latest de-escalation agreement in Hadramawt, stressing the importance of fully adhering to its terms and building upon it to preserve stability in the governorate, which he described as a cornerstone of security for Yemen and the region.
Al-Alimi reaffirmed his support for local authorities, tribal leaders, and mediators in Hadramawt in their efforts to restore calm, improve conditions, and empower residents to manage their own affairs, in line with the Council’s plans to normalize the situation.
He also directed the formation of a committee to investigate human rights and international humanitarian law violations and the damage caused by recent events to civilians and public and private property—particularly in the districts of Wadi and Desert Hadramawt—while stressing that perpetrators must not escape accountability.
The president called on all national forces to reject divisions, unite ranks, and support the government in fulfilling its obligations, placing citizens’ interests and dignity above all else.
Al-Alimi’s departure comes amid a wave of swift developments in eastern Yemen. On Thursday, Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces announced they had taken full control—without resistance—of military, security, and administrative institutions in Al-Mahra, including the provincial capital Al-Ghaydah, border crossings with Oman, and the Port of Nishtun on the Arabian Sea, after lowering Yemen’s national flag and raising their own over government buildings and ports.
This move followed hours of heavy clashes in Hadramawt in which STC forces seized the sites guarding oil companies on the Masila plateau and expanded their control over the oil fields, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance.
STC forces also seized several military brigades in Wadi and Desert of Hadramawt, most notably the 11th Border Guard Brigade in Rumah and the 23rd Mechanized Brigade in Al-Abr.
