News - Yemen: A young man was shot and killed at a checkpoint in the Hadhramaut province, in an incident locals have attributed to militias affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). The killing has sparked renewed anger over the impunity of armed groups and the deteriorating security situation in southern Yemen.

According to local sources, the victim, Amr Ali bin Ajlan Al-Hamoomi, was shot dead by STC militia members at a checkpoint in the Ash-Shihr district, east of the provincial capital, Mukalla. The sources stated that Al-Hamoomi was stopped at the checkpoint and then shot directly, leading to his immediate death.

Reports indicate that the militia attempted to justify the killing with flimsy pretexts, a pattern residents say is common after such incidents in southern provinces. This event is the latest in a long series of killings and human rights violations carried out by various militias in the region, which have been described as tools of foreign powers vying for influence.

In recent years, areas under the control of the STC and other factions have witnessed a significant rise in armed violence, kidnapping, and armed robbery, coupled with a collapse of basic services and a severe deterioration of living conditions. This has exacerbated the suffering of citizens already grappling with rampant poverty and a pervasive administrative vacuum.

Analysts observe that the ongoing militia violence and the competition for control over resource-rich provinces like Hadhramaut and Shabwa highlight the deep fragmentation in southern Yemen. 

The power vacuum has allowed armed groups to operate with impunity, further destabilizing the region and complicating any prospects for a unified political settlement to the wider Yemeni conflict. Local citizens are demanding an urgent investigation into the killing of Al-Hamoomi and accountability for those responsible, warning that continued violations will only intensify public anger against both the militias and their foreign backers.

Southern Yemen remains a fractured and volatile region, largely under the influence of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which vies for control and the eventual secession of the south.