Saudi authorities prevent senior official from returning to Yemen

RIYADH, June 28 (YPA) – Saudi authorities have prevented a coalition-backed Aden government official from returning to Yemen.

Political sources familiar with the matter said the coalition-affiliated governor of Hadramout, Mabkhot bin Madi, have been prevented from returning to the province since last April, following the UAE’s authorization to transfer thousands of armed personnel from Aden, Al Dhalea, and Lahj to Mukalla city.

The sources reported that Saudi move came after the leader of the Hadramout Tribal Alliance, Sheikh Amr bin Habrish al-Ali, who is loyal to the kingdom, was allowed to recruit factions of the so-called Hadramout Protection Forces, following his meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh last March.

The sources suggested that Saudi Arabia was planning to oust governor Bin Madi, backed UAE, amid reports indicating the nomination of Akram Naseeb Al-Amiri, Secretary-General of the Hadramout Comprehensive Conference, headed by Sheikh Bin Habrish, alongside the Tribal Alliance.

Earlier, the Hadramout Tribal Alliance declared self-rule in mid-April on the Hadramout province, due to the subservience and exclusion that the Presidential Leadership Council and the coalition-backed Aden government imposed on the people of Hadramout, following a year of tribal sit-ins demanding partnership and development from natural resource revenues.

AA