Mahra residents vow to respond to Saudi occupation

MAHRA, Sept. 25 (YPA) – Residents of Mahra province, eastern Yemen, on Tuesday vowed to respond to Saudi occupation after issuing a warrant for the arrest of former deputy governor, Sheikh Ali al-Harizi.

The Saudi-led coalition forces officially directed the Saudi forces in Mahra to arrest al-Harizi against the backdrop of his opposition to the Saudi military presence in the province, according to sources close to the General Council of Mahra and Socotra provinces.

Mahra residents considered the Saudi move “a proof that Riyadh is dealing with Mahra as a colony of Saudi Arabia”.

They noted that “the arrest warrant did not come from Hadi’s government, but from the coalition, which is another violation of Yemeni sovereignty.”

Al-Harizi is one of founders of the Mahra and Socotra council. He worked to escalate the rejection of the Saudi existence and to mobilize Mahra tribes to counter the Saudi military forces in the province.

Mahra has recently witnessed sit-ins and protests against the Saudi expansion in the Yemeni territories, the latest of which was placing cement signs to determine Saudi oil pipeline route in Shehr area of the province.

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