Hadramout out of UAE control: pro-Saudi factions take over Seiyun, Mukalla
HADRAMOUT, Jan. 03 (YPA) – In a dramatic development reshaping the balance of power in eastern Yemen, Salem Al-Khanbashi—the Hadramout governor appointed by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and commander of the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan forces—announced on Saturday the full takeover of Seiyun city, effectively ending the control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions over the province.
In a press statement, Al-Khanbashi said that his forces had consolidated control over all military camps and positions in areas of the province, and had successfully secured Seiyun International Airport along with all sovereign and service facilities, emphasizing that the Dera al-Watan were deployed across all vital sites.
Al-Khanbashi also announced the launch of a comprehensive plan to normalize the situation, restore public life, and ensure the continuity of services, praising the pivotal role played by citizens and tribal sheikhs in supporting security and stability and stressing that the next phase will include military deployments toward the Hadramout coast to extend control and secure strategic facilities.
In the same context, the Hadramout National Council described what happened as the state of chaos and projects imposed by force of arms.
In a parallel development, the Second Military Region delivered a major surprise by announcing the fall of Mukalla city and the coastal areas into the hands of the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan forces and the Hadramout Protection Forces. In an official statement, the region confirmed the stabilization of the security situation and the full securing of the city, along with the regional command headquarters and all military and civilian facilities. The move signaled a clear and confrontation-free disengagement from the (STC).
This dramatic shift followed the Second Military Region’s earlier declaration of loyalty to the UAE-backed STC, before reversing course and fully withdrawing today, a move that exposes a deep rupture within the STC’s ranks in Hadramout and underscores a significant realignment in local power balances.
Amid these rapid actions, Saudi warplanes continued to carry out intensive airstrikes targeting the positions and concentrations of STC forces west of Hadramout, along the borders with Shabwa province, sending a clear military message that eastern Yemen has entered a new phase marked by decisiveness and a fundamental shift in the balance of power.
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