Yemen Monitor – Marib – Exclusive:
The Governor of Hadramawt (eastern Yemen), Salem Al-Khanbashi, said the local authority is not engaged in any direct negotiations with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), whose forces have deployed reinforcements into Wadi Hadramawt and taken control of key positions along the coast. He indicated reliance on “mediators” to contain the situation.
In a televised interview with Al Arabiya, monitored by Yemen Monitor, Al-Khanbashi said current efforts depend on Arab mediation—apparently referring to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—to convince the STC to “reduce military presence and withdraw from economically sensitive sites in the governorate.” He expressed hope that calls for withdrawal would “be heeded.”
“I hope these calls for withdrawal find attentive ears,” he said. “Those responsible must recognize their duty toward this governorate, which has never witnessed anything like what is happening today.”
State Institutions as the Safety Valve
Addressing the structure of the state, Al-Khanbashi stressed the importance of preserving existing constitutional institutions, represented by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and Parliament, even “at their weakest.”
“It is essential for any political system to have its constitutional legitimacy,” he said. “Our state’s legitimacy is embodied in the Presidential Leadership Council, Parliament, and the institutions of the state. We must preserve constitutional legitimacy even in its weakest form.”
Warning against a constitutional vacuum, he said: “The absence of the state and its constitutional institutions means the emergence of the most backward forces.” He emphasized that the world deals with “states, not individuals,” and that legitimacy is the only framework capable of ensuring stability in the country.
Regarding the raising of secessionist flags (those of the former South Yemen) on government buildings in Hadramawt, Al-Khanbashi downplayed its impact on state legitimacy, describing it as merely a “political expression.” He added: “Raising a flag or not raising it does not topple a state or establish one,” urging restraint and an avoidance of military escalation in the governorate.
STC Violations in Wadi Hadramawt
Al-Khanbashi revealed that the local authority had received reports of violations—including “looting and theft” of public and private property—in Wadi Hadramawt, perpetrated by elements of the STC. He called on the STC leadership to form a joint committee to document abuses and compensate victims.
“The STC must justify such conduct,” he said. “We call on them to form a joint committee with the local authority in the Wadi to document all these violations and develop measures to compensate those harmed.”
Rights reports have documented widespread looting of homes and shops in Seiyun, the center of Wadi Hadramawt, in addition to the looting of warehouses belonging to the First Military Region.
Al-Khanbashi concluded by stressing that the “primary beneficiary” of any conflict among anti-Houthi factions is the Houthi group itself. He urged all parties to unite behind the “larger cause” of ending the Houthi coup, instead of establishing new military facts on the ground that only fragment efforts. Alongside the Houthis, he said, “benefit those who do not want Hadramawt to live in peace, tranquility, stability, and social harmony.”
