Hadramout (South24 Center)

---

Widespread looting and a breakdown of security hit the coastal city of Mukalla and other areas of Hadramout on Sunday, following the redeployment of Southern Government Forces and the entry of Saudi-backed armed groups, including tribal gunmen and northern forces, local and military sources said.

The sources said the security vacuum was quickly followed by organized looting targeting military camps and weapons depots belonging to the Second Military District, as well as several civilian institutions, amid the near-total absence of security and military authorities in parts of the coast.

According to local sources, citizens and armed men from some tribes participated in the looting of military headquarters and security facilities. Videos circulating online showed individuals transporting weapons and military equipment from inside the camps.

A local source in Mukalla said the disorder spread to Al-Rayan International Airport, where facilities were looted and vandalised, triggering panic among residents as security forces disappeared from key locations.

Military information obtained by South24 said the chaos followed the redeployment of Southern Government Forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) from positions inside camps in Mukalla, Seiyun and along the Hadramout coast, under pressure from Saudi airstrikes that targeted their positions in recent hours.

The same sources said that, following the redeployment, Saudi-backed forces, including armed tribal groups and northern military units, moved into parts of the area, coinciding with the collapse of security arrangements and the outbreak of looting.

The Southern Government Forces are currently rearranging their troops in areas outside the range of the airstrikes, the sources said, without providing further details on the nature of the new deployments.

In a related development, local sources said Saudi airstrikes late on Friday caused civilian casualties, particularly in Al-Qatn district in Wadi Hadramout. Photos and videos showed a charred body lying in a street, as well as burned civilian vehicles on public roads.

South24 has not been able to independently verify the number of civilian casualties due to ongoing tensions and limited access to the affected areas.

The latest events have reignited security fears in Mukalla, which had enjoyed years of relative stability since it was retaken from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in 2016 by Southern forces backed by the United Arab Emirates. The city was long considered one of the safest in South Yemen before the recent unrest and the entry of Saudi-backed forces.