UAE pushes fresh military reinforcements to Mukalla city
HADRAMOUT, May 17 (YPA) – The UAE pushed on Wednesday massive military reinforcements to the city of Mukalla, the center of Hadramout province, east Yemen.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the leadership of the UAE-funded Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s factions sent a military force from the city of Aden, descending from “Dhalea and Yafaa” to Mukalla, to secure a meeting of the STC’s general assembly away from “Hadrami elite.”
The sources affirmed that the Hadrami elite would have a secondary role in securing the Mukalla’s vicinity, indicating that it was not trusted to secure the event.
The STC’s head, Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, blocked the way for the visit of the head of the Saudi-formed presidential leadership council, Rashad al-Alimi, after political sources circulated about the al-Alimi’s upcoming visit to Mukalla in early May.
Political observers believed that the UAE was able to bring down Hadramout militarily by appointing Faraj al-Bahsani, a member of the Leadership Council as deputy head of STC, on May 8,2023, following the consultative meeting held by the council in Aden city.
On Tuesday, “Hadramout Tribes Reference” backed by Saudi Arabia called for a consultative meeting with the various components and local forces in Hadramout, which boycotted the consultative meeting of the STC in Aden to study the current events in the province.
The Saudi-Emirati conflict recently have emerged in Hadramout, following the visit of the Saudi support leader, Sultan Al-Baqami, who refused the spread of the “Hadrami elite” funded by Abu Dhabi on the road to Al-Abr area and securing the Al-Wadiah border crossing with his country, hinting that its presence posts a direct threat to the Saudi national security.
AA