Hadramout (South24 Center)

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Local authorities and Saudi-backed forces in Hadramout Governorate have escalated security measures against supporters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), carrying out a wide-scale arrest campaign targeting participants in a peaceful demonstration held in the city of Mukalla on Saturday (April 4).

Local sources reported that the campaign included at least 110 detainees, among them 15 minors, marking one of the largest waves of arrests following an STC-related political event in the governorate.

In a further escalation on Monday, the Yemeni Ministry of Interior issued orders to arrest the acting head of the STC in Hadramout, Ali al-Jafri, along with leaders Salem bin Daghar and Ali al-Tambashi, under the pretext of “inciting protests” in Mukalla.

The STC in Hadramout had earlier condemned, in a statement on Sunday, what it described as “arbitrary arrests and repression” against Mukalla demonstrators, holding Saudi-backed authorities fully responsible for the safety of detainees and demanding their immediate release.

The STC leadership in Aden called for a “massive” public demonstration in the Mualla district next Tuesday to denounce what it described as “crimes” committed against the people of the South in Hadramout.

In Shabwa, the STC also called for public rallies across several districts on Tuesday in solidarity with the people of Hadramout, rejecting what it described as attempts to re-empower “Brotherhood” forces and terrorist groups in the South.

Separately, the Southern Journalists Syndicate said in a statement that the arrest and torture of journalist Amjad al-Rami constitutes a “flagrant violation” of press freedom. This followed human rights reports confirming on Saturday that he was taken from his home in Mukalla to a detention facility inside Rayyan Airport, which is controlled by Saudi-backed Yemeni Emergency Forces.

A local source also reported that security forces arrested educator Abdullah Basunbul in Mukalla over his participation in the peaceful STC rally.

Authorities also issued a circular ordering the arrest of Dr. Yahya Shaif al-Shuaibi, head of the STC Coordination at the University of Aden, on charges of “incitement” and participation in the Mukalla protest.

In contrast, the local authority in Hadramout sought to contain rising public anger. Local media quoted Governor Salem al-Khanbashi on Sunday as pledging to hold those responsible for the Mukalla events accountable “in accordance with the law.”

During a meeting with political and social components, al-Khanbashi called for enhanced dialogue, a day after stating that authorities “will not tolerate” what he described as “chaos.”

These developments came after two protesters were killed and four others injured by security gunfire during the suppression of the peaceful demonstration called by the STC in Mukalla.

Read more at: Two Protesters Killed as Security Forces Open Fire on STC Rally in Hadramout

The incident triggered a wave of political and human rights condemnations, prompting the Southern Delegation in Riyadh to suspend all its official activities in protest against what it described as a “crime” against peaceful demonstrators.

 Read more at: Condemnations Escalate Following Deadly Mukalla Crackdown; 2 Killed, 4 Injured

This escalation comes amid rising tensions in Hadramout since the military and political shifts in early January, which saw Southern forces withdraw following Saudi airstrikes, while “Nation’s Shield” (Deraa al-Watan) forces and northern Emergency Forces were deployed in key areas.