Saudi, Emirati forces in Mahra face strong popular rejection: US organization
SANAA, Jan. 18 (YPA) – A report published Thursday by the US-based organization “ACLED” shed light on the situation in southern Yemen, and provided an geographical analysis on the provinces of Shabwa and Hadramout, Mahra and Socotra, as well as the rest of the southern provinces.
The organization said that the aim of the analysis is to reveal the various patterns of political violence in southern Yemen, and the various actors in it, amid the context of the growing fragmentation of the country, which has been exacerbated by the current conflict.
The report considers that the establishment of forces affiliated with Saudi Arabia in the provinces of Socotra and Mahra was less successful, despite initial reports on the formation of “elite forces”, loyal to Saudi Arabia on the island, which are now referred to as the “Socotra Elite Forces”.
However, the report indicates that the efforts of these forces to create positions and gain popularity are not entirely clear.
The organization said it has recorded a rise in protests calling for the removal of the governor in “Hadi’s government since the middle of last year, coinciding with the arrival of the “Socotra Elite” to the island.
In Mahra, the organization said it has not verified the initial reports that reveal the formation of “Mahra elite” in February 2019.
The organization affirmed that all activities led by the Saudi-led coalition in the province face strong popular opposition. “For example, the former undersecretary of Mahra province Sheikh Ali Salim al-Harizi announced the creation of the Southern National Salvation Council last October, which opposes the Saudi presence as a foreign occupation of Yemen.”
More than two years ago, Saudi Arabia deployed forces in nearly 20 camps and locations along Mahra province, which is far from conflict. These forces practiced the most brutal violations of human rights and Yemeni sovereignty, which called on the people of Mahra and its tribes to take out in marches and sit-ins calling for an end to the unjustified Saudi presence in the province.
YPA