Yemen's UAE-backed STC seizes control of city in Hadhramaut offensive
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) said on Wednesday that it had taken control of Seiyun, one of the largest cities in the eastern Hadhramaut region of Yemen.
In recent days, footage has circulated showing a build up of STC forces moving towards Hadhramaut, as part of a military operation labelled “The Promising Future”.
The developments had raised fears of a direct confrontation between UAE-backed forces and Saudi-backed tribal groups in the region.
Hadhramaut makes up about a third of Yemen’s territory, and holds 80 percent of the country’s modest oil reserves.
The Hadrami Elite Forces, the STC-aligned forces leading the campaign, have recently issued threats against the Saudi-backed Hadramout Tribes Alliance.
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Senior Hadrami commander Abu Ali al-Hadrami said the tribal alliance was serving “foreign agendas” that were undermining the STC’s project of independence for southern Yemen.
Hadrami said that the STC would not “stand idly by while attempts are made to impose a new reality in Hadramout by force”.
Sheikh Amr bin Habrish, the leader of the tribal alliance, responded by stating that any “foreign or non-local military presence in Hadramout” would be met with force. The Hadrami Elite Forces draws most of its fighters from other provinces in southern Yemen.
On Tuesday, Habrish told the BBC that he rejected the STC’s attempts at independence for south Yemen. He also called on Saudi Arabia to intervene and prevent further escalation.
Earlier that day, PetroMasila, Yemen’s largest oil company based in Hadhramaut, suspended production after armed men affiliated with the tribal alliance entered the facility.
Clashes at palace and airport
Al-Mayadeen reported on Wednesday that the STC took over Seiyun after clashes with regional forces affiliated with the Presidential Leadership Council - the executive government body in southern Yemen that initially had both Saudi and Emirati support and the STC is ostensibly part of.
Fighting took place at the presidential palace and Seiyun international airport, the report added. At least three people were killed.
The STC has accused regional forces in Seiyun, known as the First Military District, of being linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and colluding with extremist groups.
Sources close to the tribal alliance told al-Akhbar that intelligence reports revealed an Emirati plan, led by Hadrami, to seize the oil plateau.
It allegedly includes cutting Saudi supply lines and attempting to secure key facilities and desert roads connecting Hadhramaut to the Saudi border.
Rich Tedd, a geopolitical analyst, reported this week that the STC had been pictured using UAE-supplied military equipment, including Chinese 155mm AH-4 howitzers - the same systems the Emiratis also reportedly supplied to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.
Armoured vehicles made in the UAE have also been identified being driven by STC-aligned forces.
Middle East Eye reported in October that facilities in two islands administered by the STC, Abd al-Kuri and Samhah, formed part of a network of bases around the Gulf of Aden under the influence of the Emirates.
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