News - Yemen: Hadramout Governorate has returned to the forefront of developments for more than a month amid escalating rivalries among occupation-backed forces, following the takeover of the governorate by the Southern Transitional Council militia after the sidelining of Saudi-backed militias.

Since the US-Saudi aggression against Yemen began in 2015, Hadramout has witnessed a succession of major events. These included the takeover of the coastal city of Mukalla on April 2, 2015, by criminal takfiri groups known as “al‑Qaeda,” which spread across the city, established checkpoints, and raised black flags.

The group maintained control for a full year before being expelled on April 24, 2016, in a military operation overseen by the UAE armed forces, with the participation of the First Military Region command led at the time by pro‑coalition commander Faraj al‑Bahsani, who later assumed the post of Hadramout governor.

Over the past decade, Hadramout—like other southern and southeastern Yemeni governorates—has fallen under direct Saudi‑Emirati occupation, accompanied by the proliferation of multiple armed factions.

Developments on the ground have amounted to a full occupation of the governorate, with control over ports, airports, and strategic bases reflecting occupation practices carried out alongside, and in service of, the United States. 

In previous lectures, Sayyed Abdulmalik Badr al‑Din al‑Houthi stressed that Saudi actions likewise constitute occupation, control, and colonial intervention in favor of the United States, noting that all parties involved ultimately act to serve US interests.

Hadramout is considered one of the most prominent areas of US military presence, particularly at Riyan Airport. On the morning of Tuesday, October 13, 2021, a unit of the US Navy stormed the city of Ghayl Bawazir, setting up checkpoints and roadblocks, deploying police dogs, armored vehicles, and ambulances, and conducting wide-ranging sweeps of city streets. 

The operation exposed the scale of the US military presence along Hadramout’s coastline. US forces in Yemen, while presented as limited, are closely linked to Saudi and Emirati deployments and are distributed across southern Yemen as part of a broader plan to maximize strategic objectives.

The Emirati regime plays a subservient role in the service of the United States and the Israeli enemy entity. It is noted that Emirati authorities are incapable of performing this role independently, relying instead on foreign oversight even for the protection of their own palaces.

Sayyed Abdulmalik al‑Houthi has also questioned who controls oil facilities in Hadramout and Shabwa, pointing to Emirati dominance and efforts to operate and exploit these resources, while local citizens remain marginalized. 

He warned that financial inducements offered to Yemenis in these areas amount to a form of enslavement, pushing them to fight and sacrifice their lives to entrench occupation and enable foreign control over their own country.

Despite ongoing military mobilization and the alignment of militias with Abu Dhabi, all current developments ultimately serve the United States and the Israeli enemy entity, which views their local allies merely as tools with no independent voice or standing.

Over the past decade, foreign-backed militias have dominated Hadramout, controlling ports, airports, and key resources, while local populations remain marginalized. Analysts say these interventions serve broader US and Israeli enemy interests, using local proxies to maintain influence and exploit strategic assets.