STC Deploys Large Military Reinforcements to Hadhramaut Coast; Tribes Warn of Potential Conflict
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Hadhramaut Inclusive Conference has issued a stark warning regarding the arrival of over 2,500 armed individuals to the coast of Hadhramaut between April 11 and 14, 2025. The fighters reportedly arrived from the southern provinces of Aden, Lahj, and Al-Dhalea. The conference described the move as an attempt to ignite conflict and undermine the will of Hadhramaut’s people.
In an official statement, the Conference condemned the deployment as a bid to impose a political agenda “by force of arms” and accused unidentified actors of trying to drag Hadhramaut into instability. It also accused the local security committee in Hadhramaut of “collusion,” citing its silence over the movement of the armed groups, believed to be loyal to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).
The Conference urged political and social forces to stand against this maneuver and raise public awareness about the looming threats to Hadhramaut’s security. It also called on the Arab Coalition and the Presidential Leadership Council to intervene urgently and return the armed personnel to their home provinces, which are known for their alignment with the separatist STC seeking South Yemen’s independence from the North.
The statement comes amid increased support from Hadhramaut Conference members and tribal alliances for a project advocating “self-governance.” Local actors have accused external forces of trying to derail the initiative through military escalation.
Just days earlier, on Saturday, thousands of Hadhramaut residents gathered in the Al-Hadba area of Ghayl Bin Yamin district, eastern Hadhramaut, in a mass rally organized by the “Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance” to demand self-rule.
The final statement from the rally emphasized that it was time for the people of Hadhramaut to determine their own fate, free from the control of what it called “dominant forces from outside Hadhramaut.” It stressed that the governorate would not return to any form of imposed dependency or centralization.
The statement called on the regional and international community—especially Saudi Arabia, as leader of the Arab Coalition—to “urgently respond to the will of the Hadhrami people” and support steps toward self-governance. It also rejected any return to political or military domination from external forces, affirming the right of Hadhramaut’s people to protect and manage their own security and stability. It demanded the opening of recruitment to Hadhrami youth to form a security force capable of preserving peace and order in the region.
This development comes just weeks after STC President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi visited Hadhramaut, during which he claimed that “certain hands working for the Houthis, Iran, and other forces” were active in the governorate.
Previously, in June 2023, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi expressed his support during a visit to Hadhramaut for allowing the governorate to manage its own financial, administrative, and security affairs, saying, “If the experiment succeeds, we will replicate it in other provinces.”
