Hadramout (South24 Center)

Prominent tribal leader Amr bin Habrish renewed his political and economic demands while criticizing Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and central government on Saturday.

In a lengthy political speech delivered in Al-Eleeb, east of Mukalla, Bin Habrish, head of the Hadramout Tribal Alliance, highlighted the results of his recent meetings in Saudi Arabia but sidestepped the escalating rift within the alliance. 

The divide erupted after the Al-Uyoon meeting held on March 24, where founding tribal leaders voted to oust him from the alliance’s leadership.

"We want self-governance for Hadramout, free from external conflicts," Bin Habrish told the gathered elders and notables in Mukalla, adding: "None of the factions we’ve dealt with have served Hadramout’s interests."

In a 20-minute speech, Bin Habrish outlined his discussions in Riyadh, including meetings with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and other military officials. He claimed Riyadh was responsive to the alliance’s demands, notably an agreement to supply Hadramout with "500 megawatts of electricity as a first instalment”, funded by Hadramout’s crude oil revenues.

"If the state fails to deliver, we have oil that’s being smuggled and wasted. Its revenues can fund electricity—guaranteed by the Saudi-led coalition," he asserted.

Bin Habrish prioritized military recruitment, citing Hadramout’s vast geography, long coastline, and oilfields: "We have the right to build the largest recruitment force… because we face smuggling, greed, and targeting of our wealth." However, he avoided clarifying whether this force would operate under an official security framework or as an independent entity like the controversial ‘Hadramout Protection Forces’, which had invited objections from local authorities and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).

He also bypassed mention of the tensions in the First Military District which controls Wadi Hadramout and comprises northern Yemeni soldiers linked to the Houthis, and the alliance’s internal crisis. After the March 24 Al-Uyoon meeting, founding leaders accused Bin Habrish of "monopolizing decisions and turning the alliance into a personal tool" and pledged to restructure its leadership post-Eid.

An earlier ‘South24 Center’ report revealed tribal consensus to rebuild the alliance, noting Bin Habrish’s eroded support.

Criticism of the PLC and STC

Bin Habrish lambasted the PLC for its "total failure to achieve tangible results" since its formation: "They’ve addressed zero issues—their rhetoric is just threats." He singled out STC President and PLC member Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, who visited Mukalla three weeks earlier.

During his trip, al-Zubaidi accused Bin Habrish’s Hadramout Inclusive Conference (his political wing) of "evading the southern national dialogue" and warned of "Houthi infiltrations and Al-Qaeda threats" in Hadramout.

A senior STC official told ‘South24 Center’ that al-Zubaidi’s remarks "reignited Hadramout’s role in the regional calculations”, prompting Saudi Arabia to swiftly summon Bin Habrish to Riyadh to pre-empt potential escalation.