Hadramout Governorate is experiencing a state of turmoil and instability amid a complex security landscape in which military and political factors intertwine. Civilian groups are bearing the heaviest cost after finding themselves at the heart of an escalating struggle for influence.
Despite the announcement of a halt to Saudi airstrikes on areas where Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces are stationed, and the reaching of preliminary understandings stipulating the withdrawal of those forces from Hadramout and Seiyun, the repercussions of the previous escalation remain strongly felt. Incidents of looting and theft of public and private property have been recorded, forcing residents to appeal to the Presidential Leadership Council to intervene and put an end to the state of security breakdown.
According to local sources, the airstrikes resulted in casualties among STC members as well as civilian citizens, exacerbating fear and anxiety among the population and directly affecting their daily lives and livelihood security.
In the latest field developments, several units of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council forces were allowed to withdraw from the Al-Adwas area, located between Mukalla and Seiyun, toward the city of Aden, after handing over heavy weapons and armored vehicles, while being permitted to leave with their personal weapons.
These areas were subsequently handed over to the “Nation’s Shield” forces funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in a move described as a military redeployment. However, this has not yet translated into real stability that positively reflects on the humanitarian situation.
On the political front, and following the application of clear military pressure, Riyadh called for the convening of a dialogue conference under its auspices bringing together southern components. The Southern Transitional Council announced its approval to engage in this process, amid popular questions about the usefulness of such dialogues in light of ongoing external interventions.
Turning Hadramout and Seiyun into an arena for regional conflict among Gulf parties—chiefly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—along with associated indirect roles played by international powers such as the United States and Britain, in addition to the Israeli entity, has contributed to further complicating the scene, distancing the prospects of purely national solutions, and leaving civilians to face the consequences of the conflict without adequate protection.
With the continued fragility of the security situation, economic and humanitarian conditions are heading toward further deterioration. Citizens are suffering from rising living costs, disruption of income sources, and declining basic services, amid the absence of a clear vision that places the interests of the Yemeni people at the top of priorities.
The suffering of Hadramout is likely to intensify as long as crucial decisions are made outside the national will, and unless civilians are neutralized from military and political conflicts, and the interests of the homeland and the Yemeni people are placed above all else—an essential entry point to any real and sustainable stability.
