Saudi Arabia Demands Withdrawal of Forces from Outside Hadramawt and Handover of Their Positions to “Shield of the Homeland” Forces
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Major General Mohammed bin Obaid Al-Qahtani, head of the Saudi delegation and chairman of the Special Committee on Yemen, affirmed that the delegation’s mission represents an extension of the political efforts exerted by the Kingdom to calm the situation in Hadramawt and spare the governorate any military confrontations that do not serve the interests of its people.
This came during a meeting held today, Friday, in the city of Al-Mukalla, which included the Governor of Hadramawt, Salem Ahmed Al-Khanbashi, the Saudi delegation, along with notables, dignitaries, sheikhs, political and social leaders, tribal and official figures, in addition to security and military leaders.
Al-Qahtani stated that Saudi Arabia’s position rejects military operations in Hadramawt, emphasizing the importance of calming the situation and imposing security and stability in the governorate and its districts. He stressed working continuously with the local authority and all parties on the ground to prevent any friction or clashes, restore matters to normal, ensure the functioning of institutions and the provision of services to the people of Hadramawt, and preserve public and private property.
The Saudi delegation stressed the necessity of all forces that came from outside the governorate returning to their camps and handing over the positions they will vacate to the Shield of the Homeland forces, as a fundamental step to achieve stability and security in Hadramawt.
For his part, the Governor of Hadramawt, Salem Al-Khanbashi, renewed the local authority’s welcome to the Saudi delegation, appreciating the Kingdom’s pivotal role in supporting the governorate and Yemen in general throughout various stages.
He affirmed the authority’s keenness for this visit to add a new tributary to security and stability and support service and development sectors. He expressed his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi government, confirming the importance of the visit in providing a comprehensive matrix to support security, stability, and the service sector in Hadramawt.
Earlier on Friday, the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance held the United Arab Emirates fully responsible for the events that led to the violation of the agreement and the ceasefire announced by the Hadramawt authorities and sponsored by the Saudi delegation. The alliance affirmed its commitment to the security and stability of the governorate and its oil facilities and to continuing to defend the country, despite the events the governorate witnessed in the past two days.
STC forces had violated the agreement between the local authority and the Hadramawt tribes and proceeded to take control of sites protecting oil companies on the Masila plateau, with their influence extending to include the oil fields, coinciding with the withdrawal of Hadramawt Tribal Alliance forces.
The STC forces also imposed their control over a number of brigades in the Wadi and desert of Hadramawt, most notably the 11th Border Guard Brigade in Rumah and the 23rd Mika Brigade in Al-Abr.
