Aden (South24) 

On Sunday afternoon, pro-Islah government forces stormed a camp where citizens were camping in the Radhum district of Shabwa governorate, and shot the participants, according to "South24" sources.

Local activists said that military vehicles and a number of soldiers opened fire indiscriminately, when they stormed a camp set up by the residents in the administrative center of Radhum District, Shabwa Governorate.

“The sit-in was aimed to demand the government to provide services and save the economy, and to call on the tribes to confront the Houthi militia,” a local source who spoke to “South24.”

"South24" obtained a video that showed military vehicles firing indiscriminately at the sit-in camp in the city of Radhum. (1)

"South24" has not received any information about casualties due to the attack.

Several similar events were held on Sunday and Saturday in Al-Rawda, Nisab and Habban districts in Shabwa governorate, condemning the collapse of the economy and calling for a confrontation with the Houthis.

Protesters in Al-Rawda District said that the security forces also stormed the sit-in camp in the city, yesterday evening, Saturday.

This local movement comes in light of the people's efforts to confront "the threat of militias backed by Iran," according to the sources.

On September 21, the Houthis seized the districts of Beihan, north of Shabwa governorate, located near the oil fields.

The United Alliance of the People of Shabwa accused the local authorities in the governorate, which are close to the Islamists [Islah], of "conspiring" to hand over the Shabwa areas to the Houthis.

In a statement on Sunday, the Southern faction called for "extracting the rights of the people of Shabwa governorate in all political, economic and military fields."

Strategic relationship

On the other hand, STC President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, reiterated that the STC's relationship with the Saudi-led Coalition is "strategic and fateful", and denied the existence of differences with the Coalition.

Al-Zubaidi said in an interview with the Saudi newspaper "Okaz": "We are with all the national forces that share our fateful battle to eradicate the Iranian project in the region." (2) 

Al-Zubaidi stressed the STC's commitment to protecting South Yemen. He ruled out the participation of Southern forces in the war currently taking place in Marib.

He said that their forces "are fighting the Houthi militia on more than 15 fronts, and they are the hottest fronts and the most victorious."

Riyadh Agreement

Al-Zubaidi stressed the importance of the "Riyadh Agreement" and denied that the STC had obstructed the implementation of the agreement.

He said that "The Riyadh Agreement is the solid, common ground for confronting the Houthis under the auspices of Saudi Arabia, and it is a starting point for unifying all efforts, whether in South or North, to confront the Houthi."

Al-Zubaidi said that the STC provided all measures for the return of the government, and that the STC's forces are protecting it in Aden.

Al-Zubaidi denied the STC's relationship with the Houthis, and Al-Zubaidi answered, in response to a question to the Saudi newspaper: "A such say can be directed to parties where the Houthi militias are expanding in operations that are similar to handover and receiving."

Normalization with Israel

Regarding previous statements by Al-Zubaidi, in regards to normalizing ties with Israel, Al-Zubaidi said: The issue of normalization with Israel does not mean abandoning the Palestinian cause at all.

Al-Zubaidi stressed the need for Israel to recognize "the right of the Palestinians to establish their state alongside the State of Israel in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative."

Al-Zubaidi's statements to the Saudi newspaper came after criticism of Southern activists about the role of the Riyadh-led Coalition in South Yemen. (3)

South24 Center for News and Studies

Photo: A military vehicle during the storming of a sit-in camp in Radhum city, Shabwa, Sunday, October 24, 2021 (activists - Twitter)