Saudi-backed forces kidnap STC official in Hadramout

HADRAMOUT, Aug. 28 (YPA) – The Saudi-funded forces kidnapped on Friday a leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Hadramout province after raiding Al-Suhail neighborhood in central Seiyun, the administrative center of the province’s Wadi and Desert districts.

According to matching media and rights sources, armed personnel from the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan and Emergency factions raided Al-Suhail with several military vehicles and abducted Basem Jamaan Duwail, identified as director of the Youth and Sports Department at the STC’s auxiliary executive body in Wadi Hadramout. He was reportedly taken to a detention facility operated by the forces in Seiyun.

The sources said Duwail’s abduction marks the second such incident involving him since February, describing the detention as an arbitrary and cowardly act.

The raid and Duwail’s abduction sparked widespread anger and condemnation, with local calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

The incident comes amid continued popular protests demanding an end to Saudi tutelage, as the STC prepares to hold its largest public demonstration next Tuesday across Saudi-controlled provinces.

Riyadh has also continued targeting STC leaders amid worsening crises affecting residents across the provinces, particularly shortages of household cooking gas and persistent power outages, which critics describe as part of a systematic policy carried out by the Saudi Special Committee.

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