Armed clashes between STC factions spark terror in Aden

ADEN, April 22 (YPA) – Armed clashes erupted between factions affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the Saudi-led coalition-controlled city of Aden in southern Yemen as a result of escalating conflict between leaders of factions formed along regional lines.

Local sources reported that, following Monday’s clashes, the “Security Belt” forces stormed the home of Ghassan Awad Abdul Habib al-Yafei, a leader in the Emergency Forces, in the Remi neighborhood of Al-Mansoura district, where his brother Ammar and several other militants were arrested.

The sources reported that the incident included a heavy exchange of gunfire, which sparked fear among residents. The reasons behind the raid or the resulting material and human losses were not yet clear.

This raid comes in the context of influence struggles between the leaders of the pro-UAE factions, as well as their protection of drug and hashish gangs in the city, the sources added.

It is noteworthy that Ghassan al-Yafei carried out an armed attack on the Al-Mansoura Police Department in March 2024, using armored vehicles and heavy weapons to release a detainee on charges of hashish trafficking. As previously, he was arrested in November 2023 with two of his militants in possession of large quantities of drugs and alcohol at one of the checkpoints in the Sheikh Othman district.

YPA