Rights Report Reveals Security Collapse and Rising Militia Influence in Hadramowt and Al-Mahrah

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties has released an extensive report titled “No One to Protect the Victims,” documenting a surge in serious violations amid military and security shifts in Hadramowt and Al-Mahrah throughout December 2025. The report warns of a “dangerous shift” characterized by the disintegration of state authority and the expanding dominance of armed groups operating outside legal and constitutional frameworks.

The report highlights that, efforts to integrate various armed factions—initiated in 2017—have largely stalled. Instead, separate chains of command persist, fueled by overlapping domestic and foreign agendas. This fragmentation has solidified multiple centers of power, turning areas of influence into de facto authorities that impose their will by force.

A critical turning point occurred in October 2025, when these forces expanded their presence in Wadi Hadramowt, displacing official government units from their positions.

According to SAM, this security vacuum has led to a series  of human rights abuses, including:

• Extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests.
• Widespread looting of public and private property.
• Raids on the homes of government officials and soldiers.
• The installation of “alternative authorities” within state institutions.

The humanitarian impact has been severe; approximately 375 families have been forced into internal displacement toward Marib. Those remaining face crumbling infrastructure and a critical lack of basic services.

The findings are based on a multi-source methodology, including direct interviews with victims and eyewitnesses, analysis of official data, and open-source intelligence verified by experts in international humanitarian law and digital forensics.

The report also addressed allegations against the First Military Region regarding drug and weapons smuggling, stating that no credible evidence has emerged to support these claims. Conversely, the organization monitored coordinated digital campaigns inciting secession and an escalation in threats against journalists and activists, signaling a systematic “intimidation of civic space.”

The report rejected the official silence and the absence of positions from the Ministry of Human Rights, considering that this undermines the chances of accountability and encourages impunity. It called for independent and effective judicial investigations, protection for victims and witnesses, and an end to any support for armed groups outside the state.

Additionally, it emphasized efforts to unify the armed forces under official command, maintain security, and facilitate access to humanitarian aid. The report concludes that a sustainable solution can only be achieved through political and diplomatic dialogue. It stresses the urgent need to halt unilateral actions and the imposition of facts on the ground by force to preserve civilian safety and the rule of law across the region.