Aden (South24)

The Southern Armed Forces in South Yemen on Saturday (December 13) categorically denied allegations of executing wounded fighters or “executing detainees,” terming it as “falsehoods and distortions” published by the General Staff Command based in Marib, which is loyal to the Yemeni government, stating that the claims aim to falsify facts and serve narrow partisan agendas. 

The Southern forces said that the “incendiary statement issued by the General Staff, which is under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood, reproduces the rhetoric of side battles and serves agendas hostile to the course of restoring the (South) state.” They added that such narratives divert attention from the main battle against the Houthi militia and seek to undermine the security and military successes achieved by the Southern forces. 

Strongly denying the allegations of executing wounded fighters or “executing detainees,” the Southern Armed Forces described the claims as part of a propaganda campaign by the Houthis and the Muslim Brotherhood, lacking any evidence and aimed at tarnishing the image of the Southern forces and discrediting their military operations. 

On Friday, the General Staff, headquartered in Marib, announced the killing of 32 soldiers and wounding of 45 others from the First Military Region, as a result of what it described as an “attack carried out by groups affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council” in Wadi Hadramout in early December. 

The General Staff in Marib accused the Southern forces of “executing a number of the wounded and carrying out executions of detainees,” accusations that were denied by the Southern forces. 

In a statement published by the spokesman of the Southern forces, Lt. Col. Mohammed Al-Naqeeb said: “We categorically deny the claims of the so-called General Staff regarding the existence of missing persons, or that our forces carried out executions of wounded individuals or detainees.” 

The statement affirmed the Southern forces’ commitment to international humanitarian law and the rules of engagement, noting that its Operation “Promising Future” contributed to cutting off Iranian arms smuggling routes and clearing the Wadi and desert of Hadramout of terrorist elements that had long operated in the area, exploiting the security vacuum and political complicity. 

The Southern forces also criticized what they described as the absence of any responsible stance or condemnation statement from the General Staff in Marib regarding the “terrorist and hostile acts” against their forces, including the assassination of dozens of members of the Hadrami Elite Forces in areas under the control of the First Military Region. 

The statement stressed that the Southern forces will continue combating terrorism and protecting the security of the South, and will not allow, it said, the reproduction of chaos or the passage of political and media disinformation campaigns under any pretext. 

On December 3, the Southern Armed Forces announced the launch of one of their most prominent military operations, dubbed “Promising Future”, to “liberate” Wadi Hadramout from northern forces affiliated with the First Military Region.  

According to Southern officials, the operation was aimed to end the security vacuum in Wadi and the desert of Hadramout, and to confront the activity of terrorist groups and smuggling networks that had remained active across wide areas outside state control.