Hadramout (South24 Center)

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Wadi and Desert Hadramout announced on Saturday (May 23) its rejection of the continued presence of Yemeni Emergency Forces in Wadi Hadramout, demanding their “immediate” withdrawal during an expanded meeting held in Seiyun and attended by political, tribal, and social figures.

The meeting’s outcomes affirmed the rejection of “the presence and deployment of Yemeni Emergency Forces in the Wadi,” while calling for enabling the people of Hadramout to manage the governorate’s security and military files.

The meeting featured a phone address by Acting STC Secretary-General Waddah Al-Halmi, who said the Council “supports international peace, but not at the expense of the aspirations of the Southern people.” He stressed that Hadramout “represents Southern history and identity” and remains committed to the STC and its leadership.

In a notable move, the meeting announced the “suspension of the organizational status of the leaders who left for Riyadh until further notice,” while stressing the need “not to be distracted by or drawn into discussions over the issue of those leaders.”

The meeting did not name the leaders concerned. However, the decision comes amid visible divergences within parts of the STC’s organizational structure, coinciding with Saudi moves to sponsor a Southern dialogue in Riyadh.

The attendees also announced their refusal to participate in what they described as the “Supreme Coordinating Council of Political Forces, Components, and Parties in Hadramout.”

The final communique rejected the option of “taking up arms,” saying the current phase requires adopting peaceful pressure methods, in reference to the political and military tensions witnessed in Hadramout over the past months.

For his part, the head of the Federation of South Arabia Tribes, Sheikh Saleh Al-Yazidi, demanded the expulsion of Yemeni Emergency Forces from Hadramout. He also announced the drafting of a “tribal and societal covenant document” aimed at unifying Southern tribes, renouncing tribal fanaticism, and ending blood feuds.

Al-Yazidi said the document condemns the “culture of extremism and fanaticism” and criminalizes “all forms of banditry and highway robbery,” while affirming a firm stance against “outlaws and those involved in terrorism and murder.”

The latest position by the STC leadership in Wadi and Desert Hadramout comes months after escalating security tensions in Seiyun, where the Council previously accused Northern Emergency Forces of raiding the home of Mohammad Abdulmalik Al-Zubaidi, head of the STC’s Executive Body in Wadi and Desert Hadramout, and looting several STC headquarters in the Wadi.

At the time, the Council said the forces had stormed its auxiliary executive body headquarters in Seiyun, targeted other STC offices across Wadi Hadramout, removed and burned Southern flags, and tore down photos of Southern leaders and fallen fighters.