Hadramout (South24 Center)

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Wadi Hadramout stated on Tuesday, February 3, that Northern Emergency Forces raided and stormed the house of Mohammed Abdulmalik Al-Zubaidi, head of the Council’s Executive Body, in the city of Seiyun, and looted several headquarters belonging to the STC in the Wadi.

In a statement issued following a meeting of its Executive Body for the Districts of Hadramout Wadi and Desert, the Council noted that the storming of Al-Zubaidi’s home represents a "dangerous precedent and a blatant violation."

The statement described the act as an expression of a "retaliatory mentality," falling within attempts to "break the will of the South" and target symbols of Southern political action.

The statement added that Northern Emergency Forces also looted the headquarters of the Council’s Auxiliary Executive Body in Seiyun and targeted other STC offices across cities in Wadi Hadramout. Furthermore, they removed and burned Southern flags and tore down photos of Southern fallen and leaders.

The Council also condemned the kidnapping of Lieutenant Colonel Abdulrahman Ghaithan Al-Feel, an officer in the Second Military District, describing it as a "serious violation" intended to intimidate the population and break their will, according to the statement.

The Council called on the people of Hadramout to mobilize and participate in a massive rally in Seiyun this coming Friday afternoon, February 6, to denounce what it described as "retaliatory acts," express rejection of these practices, and condemn the kidnapping of Lt. Col. Al-Feel.

The statement further urged supporters to rally behind the STC leadership, headed by President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, to safeguard what it called "Southern national gains" and to reject "fragmentation projects and the targeting of Southern unity."

Hadramout has been witnessing escalating political and security tensions since Saudi-backed forces took control of the governorate earlier this year, following the withdrawal of Southern forces affiliated with the STC under the pressure of Saudi airstrikes.