Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
In the first official response to Saudi calls for de-escalation in eastern Yemen, Mohammed Abdulmalik Al-Zubaidi, Head of the Auxiliary Executive Authority of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) for the districts of Wadi and Desert Hadramawt, affirmed that the Southern Armed Forces will not withdraw from Hadramawt.
In statements to the Emirati channel Sky News Arabia, Al-Zubaidi said that the security situation in Wadi and Desert Hadramawt is “stable and calm,” stressing that there are no violations and that Southern forces are deployed on the ground carrying out their security duties.
He added, “We will not withdraw from Hadramawt. The Southern Armed Forces came in response to an appeal for help from the people of Wadi and Desert Hadramawt,” considering their deployment to be in the interest of all parties, while expressing readiness to cooperate with any other Southern forces within the framework of maintaining security.
Al-Zubaidi pointed out that the presence of STC forces has contributed to thwarting arms-smuggling operations to the Houthi group. He affirmed that the council has never rejected dialogue and that “the Southern people support the presence of these forces.”
The STC leader strongly rejected any presence of what he described as “Islah-affiliated forces” in Hadramawt, referring to the Hadramawt Protection Forces and the Nation’s Shield Forces affiliated with the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, stressing readiness to confront them.
These statements come at a time when Yemen’s eastern governorates are witnessing a rise in tensions due to military movements and differing political positions, raising local and regional concerns over their impact on security and stability in Hadramawt, which has been known in recent years for its relative stability.
In recent days, tribal and official positions have emerged rejecting any military movements outside the framework of state institutions and declaring support for local authorities. They emphasized the need to preserve the particular status of the eastern governorates and to prevent them from sliding into new conflicts, while calling for prioritizing political solutions and dialogue.
Earlier, Arab Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki announced that the coalition would respond to any military movements that undermine de-escalation efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Hadramawt, based on a request from the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated, in a statement issued last Thursday, that the movements of the STC in Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah were unilateral and carried out without the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council or coordination with the coalition leadership. It considered these moves to have contributed to unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, the Southern Cause, and coalition efforts.
