Hadramout (South24 Center)

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Local sources informed South24 that armed tribal groups arriving from northern governorates, including Marib, carried out looting operations in the vicinity of Rayyan International Airport in Mukalla, as well as in other areas along the Hadramout coast, amid an unprecedented security breakdown not seen for years.

The sources said the armed tribal fighters, who recently took part in clashes alongside Saudi-backed forces against Southern government forces, engaged in widespread looting. This included vehicles, household property, weapons depots, and military camps.

According to the sources, a military unit affiliated with the Nation Shield Forces clashed with an armed tribal group near Rayyan Airport, resulting in casualties, including both fatalities and injuries.

 Read more at: Looting Erupts in Hadramout After Entry of Saudi-Backed Armed Groups

These incidents come amid a broader state of chaos and security collapse that has affected Mukalla and several areas along the Hadramout coast, following the withdrawal of Southern government forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council from the governorate yesterday, after Saudi airstrikes targeted their positions.

#BREAKING
Video documents looting of Barshid camp west of Mukalla after Southern government forces withdrew and Saudi-backed forces arrived#south24pic.twitter.com/t6qSP6r2Dg

— South24 | English (@South24E) January 4, 2026

As a result, Hadramout, and Mukalla in particular, has been pushed back into a state of security anxiety after years of relative stability that followed the expulsion of Al-Qaeda from the city in 2016 in an operation carried out by the Hadrami Elite Forces with Emirati support.

 Read more at: AQAP Celebrates UAE and Southern Forces’ Departure from Hadramout