Aden (South24 Center)

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A Saudi military delegation led by Falah Al-Shahrani, adviser to the Joint Forces Command, met with southern military leaders in Aden on January 13. The expanded meeting discussed security and military organization in Aden and the liberated governorates, according to Nation Shield Forces media.

In remarks delivered during the meeting, the Saudi official said: “Our presence today is a message of reassurance to everyone in Aden and across South Yemen. I assure you that we will work with all parties and will not exclude anyone. The just cause of the South will be discussed at the Riyadh Conference.”

Al-Shahrani stressed the importance of containing existing military formations and working with them, as well as supporting counterterrorism efforts and the forces operating in that field.

According to the Nation Shield Forces, Adviser Falah Al-Shahrani arrived in Aden on Monday at the head of a Saudi military delegation, as part of a visit aimed at following up on ongoing security and military arrangements.

On January 10, the head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, announced the formation of a Saudi-led Supreme Military Committee tasked with “preparing, equipping, and commanding all forces and military formations.” He said the move comes in preparation for what he described as the “next phase” if the Houthis reject peaceful solutions.

Read more at: PLC President Forms Saudi-Led Military Committee

Political sources view this step as part of efforts led by Riyadh to reorganize the military and political landscape within the internationally recognized Yemeni government, as part of attempts to revive the political roadmap that stalled in October 2023 following regional escalation and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

In this context, Presidential Leadership Council member and Vice President of the Southern Transitional Council, Maj. Gen. Faraj Al-Bahsani, said that unifying southern forces to operate under coalition leadership “would be difficult,” stressing that southern forces, whether affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, Hadramout forces, or any other formation, “will not accept that.”

Read more at: Al-Bahsani: Southern Forces Will Not Accept Integration with Other Forces in Yemen

Al-Bahsani’s remarks came after Al-Alimi announced the formation of the Saudi-led Supreme Military Committee, amid escalating political and security developments in South Yemen following the withdrawal of southern forces from the governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahra and Saudi airstrikes targeting their positions.

Subsequently, pro-Saudi Salafi forces and other Yemeni forces loyal to Saudi Arabia took control of large parts of Hadramout and Al-Mahra. Meanwhile, the Nation Shield forces also were deployed in Aden.