Hadramout (South24) 

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On Tuesday, the formation of a new Hadrami political entity was announced in Riyadh amid the presence of the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jabir.

In the inauguration ceremony in Riyadh, the Governor of Hadramout Mabkhout bin Madi announced the formation of the "Hadramout National Council" (HNC).

The Governor's media office released images that featured signing the "political and legal" document and the "Hadrami Code of Honor".

The move, supported and funded by Riyadh, came weeks after the end of the expanded Consultative Meeting led by STC officials in Aden in early May.

The announcement of the new political entity came weeks after Saudi Arabia hosted a Hadrami delegation that included tribal and political figures to discuss the conditions of the governorate. 

Related: Hadrami Discussions in Riyadh: Background and Goals 

The "political and legal" document contains some general provisions and commitments that stressed the need to let Hadramis manage their own economic, political, and security affairs.

The media office said: "The HNC will include entities, ministers, and parliamentarians affiliated with Hadramout in addition to women and the civil sector".

Moreover, the document includes articles that call for standing behind Saudi Arabia and the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) as well as countering the Houthis.

The statement didn’t name the figures, entities, and officials who approved joining the HNC. The signing ceremony's images were limited to two persons.

According to the statement, a foundation body will be in charge of completing the formation of the new Hadrami entity as well as preparing regulations and systems in two months from now.

Prominent figures who have close ties with Saudi Arabia praised the establishment of the HNC including the PLC member and senior Islah official Abdullah Al-Alimi who hailed this move. He called to extend it to other governorates.

لطالما عودتنا حضرموت على الريادة والتميّز، ولطالما كان أبناؤها مصدر إلهامٍ للجميع، وها هي اليوم تقدم لنا جميعاً نموذجاً في وحدة الصف والكلمة والثبات على المبدأ في الدفاع عن حقوقها ومصالح أبنائها بتشكيل #مجلس_حضرموت_الوطني لتعزز تواجدها وتأخذ موقعها الذي يليق بها في المشروع الوطني… pic.twitter.com/VLvjt2oQv1

— د. عبدالله العليمي (@ALalimiBawzer) June 20, 2023

Saudi newspaper Okaz said that the new entity serves as "a political bearer" for Hadramout.

On the other hand, PLC member and Southern Transitional Council (STC) Vice President Major General Faraj Al-Bahsani called for a unified vision for Hadramis.

He tweeted: "In the current stage, all Hadramis should adopt a clear and unified vision that understands the political reality on the ground".

ما يجب أن يكون في هذه المرحلة بحضرموت هو أن يحمل كل ابناءها رؤية واحدة واضحة،فهما للواقع السياسي والواقع على الأرض،تعدد المشاريع والرؤى والإقصاء لن يزيدنا إلا تفككاًونحن لسنا بحاجةلذلك،من يدرك الواقع سيدرك أمورا كثيرة ومن لا يدرك شيئاً سيظل كما هو ولن يقدم شي سوى مزيدا من التشرذم

— فرج البحسني - Faraj Al-Bahsani (@Farag_ALbahsani) June 20, 2023

Al-Bahsani warned of additional disintegration as a result of the multiple projects, visions, and goals.

On Tuesday, prominent tribal figures in Hadramout sent a letter to Saudi Arabia and the PLC to express their rejection of the new entity which, according to them, belongs to one social and political spectrum.

On May 20, a delegation from Hadramout arrived in Riyadh, at a Saudi invitation Just one day before holding the 6th session of the STC National Assembly in Hadramout's capital city Mukalla.

In May, Southern political parties signed the Southern National Pact in the capital city Aden, after the STC-sponsored Consultative Meeting, the largest in decades.

Related: Declaration of the Southern National Pact and the Form of the Next State 

The move enhances the disagreements between the leading Coalition countries, that is Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in terms of their policies in South Yemen.

Related: Are KSA and the UAE Vying for Regional Leadership?

The UAE supports the STC which calls for an independent state in the entire geography of South Yemen which was an independent state until May 21, 1990.