Hadramout (South24)

On Thursday (February 27), the Second Military District in Hadramout in the coast of Hadramout warned against organizing any meetings outside the state authority, deeming this as “illegal”.

This came a day after a meeting between the Chairman of the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy, Amr Bin Habrish, on Wednesday, and local figures attired in the Yemeni military uniforms. A statement by the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy described them as the “Hadramout Protection Forces”.

’South24 Center‘ couldn’t verify the identity of the people present at the meeting.

The Second Military District in a statement said that any military meetings outside the official scope “threatens the unity of the Hadrami Elite Forces”. It described the formation as “unlawful”. The statement stressed that the Second Military District forces are committed to maintain the stability of Hadramout to avoid any internal conflicts.

The Hadramout Tribes Confederacy hasn’t commented on this so far. However, observers fear that Hadramout can turn into an arena for settling scores regionally and locally after remaining away from the military conflict with the Houthis.

On December 25, 2024, Bin Habrish had announced his decision to establish the “Hadramout Protection Forces” as part of escalatory moves that began in the middle of last year to pressure the central government to respond to the economic and political demands of the governorate.

On February 25, officials of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the Hadramout Inclusive Conference, during a webinar organized by ‘South24 Center’ and Sais Organization for Diplomatic Development, called for the need to launch a serious dialogue regarding Hadramout and to reach a consensus on electing a local authority.

On the other hand, STC President Aidrous AlـZubaidi stressed that dialogue is the best solution to achieve the aspirations of the South Yemeni people and that it is still in place. He highlighted the importance of dealing with local challenges “without violence”.

During a meeting with STC officials in Aden, AlـZubaidi, who also serves as Member of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), said: “The economic challenges are several. We are part of the ruling system and work to treat them”. He indicated that the coming phase requires more joint efforts between the government and the STC.

On Monday (Feb 24), a committee assigned by AlـZubaidi in Aden announced the securing of emergency fuel for providing electricity during the month of Ramadan.