Riyadh demands STC withdrawal, Hadramout handover to ‘Dera Al-Watan’ forces

HADRAMOUT, Dec. 04 (YPA) – Saudi Arabia is exerting significant pressure for the withdrawal of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) militias and the transfer of Yemen’s oil-rich Hadramout province to the Saudi- funded ‘Dera Al-Watan’ forces, according to political and military sources.

Sources added that Saudi Arabia has drafted an agreement proposing a gradual withdrawal of the Hadramout Tribal Alliance’s forces from the oil fields in the province, alongside the withdrawal of the STC militias to areas outside the province.

The Tribal Alliance has reportedly accepted the agreement, but the STC militias continue to reject the draft, viewing it as a squandering of the most significant victory for their UAE-backed forces, according to the sources.

The sources further noted that the approval of the Saudi draft agreement depends on Emirati acceptance, and this, in turn, requires understandings between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi regarding the privileges granted in the oil-rich province in eastern Yemen.

@E.Y.M