UAE-backed leaders attempt to oust Saudi-allied Amr bin Habreesh in Hadramout
HADRAMOUT, March 23 (YPA) – A meeting was held on Saturday in the Al-Ayoun area of the Ghayl Ba Wazir district in Hadramout Governorate, called by local leaders loyal to the UAE under the banner of the “Hadramout Tribes Alliance” and the “Hadramout Comprehensive Conference,” aimed at overthrowing the alliance’s leader, Amr bin Habreesh Al-Ali, who is loyal to Saudi Arabia.
The meeting was an attempt to create a new leadership for the alliance and overthrow bin Habreesh following his public disagreement with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) leader, Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, and his refusal to support UAE projects and its controversial agenda in Hadramout.
Local sources confirmed that the meeting, called by the STC, was met with strong opposition from several prominent tribes in Hadramout, including the Mashqass tribes in eastern Hadramout, the Bani Murrah, Nehd, and Al-Sayar tribes, along with dignitaries from Noh and Sayban.
The meeting witnessed significant tension and verbal clashes, which escalated into physical confrontations, with participants throwing bottles and shoes between those opposing and those calling for bin Habreesh’s removal.
This comes a day after a meeting between the alliance leader Amr bin Habreesh and Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, which angered the STC.
The STC attempted to impose their agenda to oust the alliance’s leader and appoint someone loyal to the UAE.
Additionally, UAE supporters circulated a statement from the meeting, announcing the removal of the leader of the Hadramout Tribes Alliance, issued by defectors from the alliance and the Hadramout Comprehensive Conference, marking a new escalation and notable development against bin Habreesh.
This escalation coincides with the growing regional and local competition for influence in Hadramout, one of Yemen’s most important oil-producing regions, amid expectations that it could become a battleground between Saudi and UAE-loyalist tribes.
@E.Y.M