Shabwa Security Committee Reveals Details of Governorate Headquarters Storming, Vows to Prosecute Perpetrators
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Security Committee in Shabwa Governorate revealed on Wednesday the details of an armed assault that took place in the city of Ataq. The incident followed a demonstration by the dissolved Transitional Council (STC), which involved an attempt to storm the governorate’s headquarters and resulted in deaths and injuries on both sides.
The Committee explained that “infiltrating elements acting outside the law” carried out a criminal act directly targeting security and military units stationed in the governorate’s center.
According to the Committee, these elements used real ammunition in an attack aimed at forcibly storming the general headquarters of the governorate. This deliberate escalation, which “disregards all laws and public peace,” led to several casualties.
In its statement, the Committee emphasized that the incident represents a blatant attack on official state institutions and an attempt to destabilize the security enjoyed by Shabwa. It held the involved parties fully legally and morally responsible for the bloodshed and the consequences of this destructive behavior.
The statement stressed that while the climate of freedom is guaranteed, it does not give any party the right to carry arms or attack security personnel. It noted that the same law protecting peaceful demonstration also criminalizes attacks on public facilities, classifying them as serious crimes that do not expire under the statute of limitations.
The Security Committee announced the launch of a large-scale operation to track down those involved in planning, financing, and executing the attack, asserting that the hand of justice will reach anyone proven to have incited chaos. It further declared that security and military forces will not stand idly by against attempts to drag the governorate into violence and will take strict measures to protect public and private property while enforcing state prestige and the rule of law.
Previously, the Security Committee had warned against holding any events without prior coordination and permits; however, the dissolved STC issued calls for demonstrations regardless of the Committee’s statement.
Notably, the Committee’s statement did not explicitly name the party behind the attempted storming, referring to them only as “infiltrating elements” without direct reference to the STC, which had mobilized the protesters.
