Saudi-backed forces make advances in Yemen’s Hadramawt: military officials

AFP | Riyadh

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Saudi-backed troops yesterday made advances in Yemen’s resource-rich Hadramawt province, military officials said, as confrontations between forces in the region have triggered a deep rift between the two Gulf allies.

Southern Transitional Council’s recent offensive to capture Hadramawt angered Riyadh.

Following repeated warnings and air strikes, the Saudi-led coalition launched a wave of attacks on Friday, including on the Al-Khasha military camp in Hadramawt that left 20 dead, according to the separatist group.

Two military officials with the Saudi-aligned government said yesterday morning that Riyadh-backed forces had taken control of the principal military base in the Yemeni city of Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt.

According to a journalist, gunfire could be heard in the city early yesterday and while residents described a security breakdown there, Saudi-backed forces appeared to advance with little resistence.

In the province’s city of Seiyun, 160 kilometres (100 miles) northwest of Mukalla, a government military official said pro-Saudi forces had taken control of the airport, targeted in Friday’s strikes, as well as administrative buildings.

“We are working to secure them,” the military official said. A STC military official said:

“There has been a retreat of our forces and we are resisting the attacking forces in Seiyun.”

“We carried out a complete withdrawal from the areas of Al-Khasha... as a result of pressure from Saudi air strikes on us,” he added.

Call for dialogue

Residents in Seiyun also said they heard gunfire and clashes early yesterday.

Saudi Arabia yesterday called for dialogue between factions in southern Yemen.

In a statement posted to social media, the Saudi foreign ministry called for “a comprehensive conference in Riyadh to bring together all southern factions to discuss just solutions to the southern cause”.

Riyadh said the Yemeni government had issued the invitation for talks.

Also yesterday, the UAE urged Yemenis to “halt escalation and resolve differences through dialogue”.

The STC is now pushing to declare independence and form a breakaway state, which would split the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest state in two.