Leader in Mahra sit-in mocks claims of arrival of “Houthi militants” in province

MAHRA, July 12 (YPA) – A prominent leader in the sit-in committee opposing foreign presence in Mahra province, eastern Yemen, mocked the circulating news on Saturday about the arrival of militants loyal to the Sanaa government (Houthis) in the province, describing it as “malicious rumors.”

Muslim Rafeet, head of the security committee of the peaceful sit-in held by the people of Mahra, denied the allegations being spread by media outlets affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), asserting that the dissemination of such rumors is a blatant attempt to drag Mahra into the conflict in Yemen as part of a “political plot” targeting the province and its people.

Rafeet explained, in a post on social media, that a number of sheikhs and members of Yemeni tribes arrived in Mahra to demand the release of Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Zaidi.

He stressed that Mahra and its people stand at an equal distance from all parties and are not party to the conflict between Sanaa and the Saudi-led coalition states.

Rafeet affirmed the Mahra sit-in committee’s commitment to protecting security and social peace and its categorical rejection of any attempts to disrupt the security situation within the province.

YPA