Hadramout: Further Escalation, Tribal Delegations Gather in Wadi Area

On Saturday, hundreds of tribal sheikhs and dignitaries of Hadramout governorate, South Yemen, headed to "Al-Radoud" area in "Wadi Hadramout", to discuss the next escalatory steps in the governorate.

The head of the Popular Escalation Committee, tribal sheikh Saeed Al-Jabri, declared the formation of military camps from Hadramis to protect the Wadi area and support the Hadrami Elite Forces, according to local media.

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Hadramout locals gather in Radoud area in Wadi Hadramout to discuss the upcoming escalatory steps

(Photos: journalists)
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Sheikh Al-Jabri reiterated the necessity of expelling the Northern forces from the 1st Military District in the Wadi area, and mobilize them to the battlefronts against the Houthis in the Northern regions of Yemen.

In the final statement of the meeting, the Hadramout Meeting Committee accused the local authority of breaching its covenants.

The statement announced the start of the "second phase" of the popular escalation. The statement stated that the 1st Military District security checkpoints returned to the practice of extortion and levies.

The demand to expel the Northern forces from Hadramout is one of the 25 main demands and proposals by the Hadramout General Meeting Implementation Committee, which is behind the popular escalation in the governorate a month ago.

Other demands also include the deployment of the pro-STC Hadrami Elite Forces throughout the governorate's districts, and the liberation of the governorate's oil wealth from "corruption and looting."

It is noteworthy that Hadramout witnessed over the past weeks a widespread popular escalation that halted oil and fish exports in the governorate.

On December 29, sheikhs and members of the Popular Escalation Committee announced a march towards the Al-Dabba oil port on the Arabian Sea coast to block the crude oil exports.

After an invitation by the governor of Hadramout, Faraj Al-Bahsani, to the escalation committee to discuss and study the demands to send them to the Yemeni presidency, the march to Al-Dabba oil port was halted. There were reports of divisions in the ranks of the Escalation Committee.

All this coincides on January 4th with Al-Bahsani's announcement for a state of emergency in Hadramout governorate, "in preparation for the battle against the Houthis."

The declaration of a state of emergency comes in parallel with violent clashes to liberate the districts of Beihan in the neighboring Shabwa governorate from the Houthis, which the Southern Giants Brigades are waging.