Escalating security chaos threatens social peace in Abyan, Shabwa

ABYAN, SHABWA, Nov. 18 (YPA) – Security conditions continue to deteriorate sharply across Yemen’s Abyan and Shabwa provinces, controlled by Saudi- and UAE-backed factions, raising concerns over the safety and stability of local residents.

On Sunday, Ahmed Mahdi Al-Awlaqi, director general of Ahwar District in Abyan, narrowly survived an assassination attempt. Gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on him immediately after he left his office, but no injuries were reported.

Local sources identified the perpetrators as members of the Al-Mohammed Al-Yaslemi Al-Kazmi tribe in Ahwar district, which is controlled by the UAE-backed factions. However, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions have remained silent on the incident, raising questions about their inaction.

In a separate incident in Ataq, the capital of Shabwa, unknown gunmen in a Toyota Corolla targeted a checkpoint belonging to the so-called “1st Shabwa Defense Brigade,” funded by the UAE. Clashes erupted between the attackers and checkpoint forces, leaving one attacker seriously wounded. The motives behind the attack remain unclear.

These incidents underscore a grim security reality in Abyan and Shabwa, where chaos defines ongoing conflicts among Saudi- and UAE-backed factions, with reports of Al-Qaeda operatives being used against rival groups.

Local calls are growing for the removal of militias brought in from Aden, Lahj, and Al-Dhalea, amid accusations that they serve foreign agendas. Residents demand to be empowered to manage their own security and administrative affairs, free from proxy conflicts that compromise civilian safety and social stability.

Meanwhile, ordinary citizens continue to bear the brunt of the instability, with collapsing services and worsening living conditions across southern provinces, including Aden, where state authority has been absent since coalition forces took control in early 2016.

@E.Y.M