Saudi pressures force tribal groups to withdraw from Aden
ADEN, July 11 (YPA) – Tribal groups aligned with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) withdrew from Aden city, south of Yemen, after receiving a final ultimatum from Saudi-backed forces.
Political and media sources reported on Saturday that the tribal groups that had gathered in the city on Friday were instructed to leave Aden within six hours and return to their home areas.
The sources claimed the warning included threats of direct airstrikes against tribal fighters from the districts of Radfan, Al-Musaymir, and Al-Subayhah of Lahj province if they failed to withdraw by the deadline.
The reported message was said to have been delivered through Mohammed Saleh Al-Hujaili, commander of the so-called Fifth Brigade stationed in Radfan, along with several other field commanders, including Othman Muawadah and Ali Al-Marfadi. None of the commanders publicly confirmed or denied the reports.
The sources further alleged that the ultimatum followed a virtual meeting on Friday evening involving Taher al-Aqili, defense minister in the Saudi-backed Aden government, Chief of Staff Sagheer bin Aziz, and commanders of the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan and Emergency forces.
They also claimed Saudi Arabia had distanced itself from responsibility for any potential clashes in Aden after deploying large military reinforcements from Al-Abr through Shabwa and Abyan to the city.
According to the sources, the deployment was intended to disperse the tribal gathering, drawing comparisons to similar operations involving STC-affiliated forces in Hadramawt late last year.
Amid the reported threats, the sources said tribal groups began leaving assembly points in Aden and returning to their areas after some leaders allegedly received assurances that detainees accused in cases linked to agreements with Riyadh would not be released.
Political activist Mo’men al-Bakri criticized the withdrawal in a Facebook post, describing it as a “strategic mistake.”
He argued that the move would allow Saudi-backed forces to strengthen their positions around Aden, particularly in the mountainous areas and key access routes to the city, while reducing the tribes’ leverage and enabling Riyadh to regroup for any future confrontation.
AA