Shabwah Governor: We Closed the STC Headquarters; Province Does Not Need “Nation’s Shield” Forces
Yemen Monitor / Ataq / Exclusive:
The Governor of Shabwah Governorate, Awadh Mohammed bin Al-Wazir, revealed on Monday that the office of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the governorate has been closed. He stressed that the governorate does not currently need additional forces from the “Nation’s Shield.”
On Monday, the executive body of the STC in the governorate held a meeting in which it rejected the statement issued by the STC leadership in Riyadh dissolving the council and its bodies, and also rejected statements by the Presidential Leadership Council.
In an interview with the Saudi national television channel Al-Ikhbariya, Bin Al-Wazir said that the STC office was closed “voluntarily,” without fighting, and that “all furniture inside the office was removed.”
He added that Shabwah is the only governorate in southern and eastern Yemen where the closure of the STC headquarters took place “in a peaceful manner” and without combat.
On the military front, the governor explained—during the interview followed by Yemen Monitor—that the local authority had welcomed the decision to form the “Nation’s Shield” forces at the time. However, he noted that the governorate currently enjoys solid security stability thanks to the forces already present, pointing out that there are other governorates and districts in Yemen that are more in need of the deployment of these forces than Shabwah at present.
The governor said: “Inside the governorate, the security forces and Shabwah Defense Forces are in control of the provincial capital, and thank God the situation is stable. We welcomed the ‘Nation’s Shield’ at the appropriate time and have no objection, but I believe there are other districts or governorates that need them more than Shabwah.”
Bin Al-Wazir emphasized that the security situation in Shabwah is fully under control, thanks to the establishment of a joint operations room that includes all military and security units—Shabwah Defense Forces, the Giants Brigades, and Public Security. He confirmed that this operations room works in complete harmony under his direct supervision as head of the security committee, ensuring unified military decision-making and thwarting any attempts to undermine security. He also noted that the governorate has been a pioneer in operating under the umbrella of the Ministry of Interior and official state institutions.
The governor categorically denied the existence of any secret or extrajudicial prisons in the governorate, affirming that all detention facilities are official and fall under the authority of the Ministry of Interior, Military Intelligence, and State Security.
On the ground, Bin Al-Wazir pointed out that Shabwah remains in an open confrontation with the Houthis along the frontlines adjacent to Marib and Al-Bayda, revealing the continued Houthi attacks using drones and artillery shelling. He noted that the latest attack involved a drone strike that killed a soldier from the Shabwah Defense Forces, emphasizing that such attacks have not stopped for four years and are being firmly confronted by deployed forces.
The Governor of Shabwah concluded his remarks by addressing the political file, describing the upcoming conference in Riyadh as “the last opportunity for the people of the southern governorates to obtain their rights.” He expressed hope that these efforts—under the sponsorship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—would result in “everyone receiving their fair share according to territory, population, and resources, based on these criteria and in a way that supports the central economy.”
