Power struggle among pro-UAE STC wings fuels clashes in Aden
ADEN, Jan. 06 (YPA) – Informed sources revealed on Tuesday that the armed confrontations which erupted in the Al-Shaab district in central Aden, southern Yemen, were driven by complex internal dynamics and covert movements described as highly dangerous.
According to the sources, Abdulrahman Al-Muharami, commander of the Giants Brigades and a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, affiliated with the Yafa’a wing of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), issued orders to withdraw heavy weapons from military camps and to impose security control over commanders linked to the Dhalea wing.
The sources said these directives triggered strong resistance from officers within the Support factions, who intercepted attempts to move heavy weapons toward Yafa’a areas in Lahj province. The standoff escalated into violent clashes, turning Al-Shaab into an active combat zone and spreading fear among local residents.
Within STC circles, Al-Muharami’s actions were reportedly described as a “soft coup,” aimed at reshaping the security landscape in Aden by sidelining STC forces in favor of the Saudi-backed Salafi “Dera al-Watan forces, through direct coordination with military leadership in Riyadh.
The sources noted that the open confrontation between the Yafa’a and Dhalea wings of the STC stemmed from earlier disputes between Al-Muharami and Shalal Shaye, commander of the Counter-Terrorism Forces and a prominent Dhalea figure.
These tensions escalated following Al-Muharami’s alleged attempt to seize an Emirati weapons shipment that arrived at Aden port and was designated for Shaye, an incident that nearly sparked armed clashes inside the port in early August last year.
Meanwhile, leaders from the Dhalea wing of the STC accused Al-Muharami of maneuvering to implement a Saudi military agenda in Aden and Shabwa, diverging from the council’s stated objectives. They argued that signs of this shift were already visible on the ground, citing the handover of security duties at Al-Masheeq Presidential Palace to UAE-backed Giants Brigade forces, replacing the “Al-Aasifa” units, under Saudi-sponsored security arrangements ahead of the anticipated return of Presidential Leadership Council, led Rashad Al-Alimi in the coming days.
Observers believe Saudi Arabia has begun leveraging what is referred to as the “Yafa’a card” to curtail the influence of the STC by undermining the military and political wings associated with Radfan and Dhalea, while deploying Dera al-Watan forces to take over security responsibilities in Aden, independent of STC factions.
These developments follow Saudi Arabia’s formal decision to end the UAE’s participation in the coalition, alongside Abu Dhabi’s withdrawal of its military equipment and assets from bases and camps in Hadramout, Shabwa, Aden, and the West Coast—paving the way for new power arrangements that grant the Yafa’a wing a share of leadership positions in exchange for dismantling the influence of former allies.
AA