In video: Saudi forces commit crime against Yemeni flag in Mahra

Last updated Aug 18, 2025 9:29 PM

MAHRA, Aug. 18 (YPA) – The Saudi Armed Forces Command has banned the raising of the Yemeni flag during the graduation ceremony of a new batch of its Dare al-Watan or Homeland Shield units in Mahra province, which borders the Sultanate of Oman.

A footage of the graduation ceremony of the second batch of the Homeland Shield brigades, formed by Saudi Arabia from extremist Salafist groups, on Sunday revealed the complete absence of the Yemeni flag, despite Saudi officers attending the ceremony.

The absence of the Yemeni flag sparked widespread anger among the people of the province and social media activists, who asserted those factions were implementing a Saudi agenda, with the goal of fulfilling Riyadh’s long-standing dream of extending an oil pipeline through Yemeni territory in Mahra to the port of Nishtun on the Arabian Sea.

Activists accused the head and members of the so-called Presidential Leadership Council, led by Rashad Al-Alimi, and the Aden government claiming “legitimacy” of abandoning Yemeni sovereignty in favor of implementing foreign agendas in Mahra.

They emphasized that the goal of establishing Saudi factions in Mahra and other areas taking away from the front lines with Sanaa forces was to implement foreign projects and suppress tribes that have opposed and rejected the Saudi and foreign military presence in the province since 2017.

This action came after the UAE seized control of Socotra Island, excluding it from Yemeni sovereignty, in addition to the Saudi-Emirati conflict through local proxies over control of the oil-rich Hadramout province, amid the silence of the “legitimate” government, which is promoting false allegations.

This was taken after Rashad al-Alimi issued a so-called “republican decree” in early 2023 to form the Homeland Shield factions and appoint pro-Saudi Salafist leader Bashir al-Mudharbi al-Subaihi as its commander, serving as a parallel force to the pro-UAE-funded Al-Amaliqa or Giants factions.

القوات السعودية ترتكب جريمة بحق العلم اليمني في المهرة “فيديو”