Abyan tribes demand disclosure of Ali Ashal Al-Jaadani’s fate, threaten armed escalation

ABYAN, July 19 (YPA) – Several tribal leaders in Abyan have called on the Saudi-backed authorities to immediately disclose the fate of Lt. Col. Ali Ashal Al-Jaadani, who they say has been forcibly disappeared in Aden since June 2024.

In a statement, the leaders warned that tribal groups are prepared to reclaim their rights “by force of arms, regardless of the cost.”

The demand was made during a large tribal gathering at the Matrah Al-Nakaf assembly, organized in response to two years of unsuccessful public and legal efforts, amid the authorities’ continued “disrespectful disregard” for their legitimate demands.

The assembled tribes held Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, a senior figure in the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), fully responsible for Ashal’s fate, arguing that he oversees the security portfolio in the governorates of Aden and Abyan.

The tribes warned also that continued inaction over the case could lead to an armed mobilization toward Aden and the closure of Abyan’s main highway as an initial escalation until their demands are fully met.

In a related development, political and human rights activist Adel Al-Hassani announced that he would suspend publishing compromising information about Saudi- and UAE-backed security and military leaders in Aden and other areas, on the condition that the fate of those abducted and forcibly disappeared in secret detention facilities in Aden be revealed.

In a post on X, Al-Hassani gave the Saudi-backed Aden government local authorities in Aden 60 days to address the cases of Ali Ashal Al-Jaadani, Nayef Al-Qahbi Al-Yafai, and Abu Osama Al-Saeedi, urging them to deal with the matter with the utmost seriousness.

He concluded by stating: “If they are alive, allow them to contact their families. If they have been killed, hand over their bodies,” warning that he would otherwise “strike at the heads of the snakes.”

AA