Abyan (South24 Center)

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Hussein Al-Maysari, head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) Executive Office in Mudiyah district of Abyan governorate, survived an assassination attempt on Friday (April 3), which left him critically injured, according to local sources.

Sources said unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on Al-Maysari, wounding him in the neck and back before fleeing the scene.

He was later transferred to a local hospital, where he remains in intensive care.

In its first official response, the STC National Assembly condemned the attack, describing the targeting of Al-Maysari as a “cowardly crime” aimed at destabilizing the South and undermining the general situation.

The Assembly called on security authorities to swiftly investigate the circumstances of the incident, pursue the perpetrators, and bring them to justice.

It also warned that the recurrence of such attacks represents a “concerning indicator” of growing terrorist threats, cautioning against their repercussions on social stability in Abyan and across the South.

The Assembly further affirmed that targeting Southern leaders would not deter the Council’s cadres from carrying out what it described as their “national duties.”

In a related development, local sources reported that Abyan Governor Mukhtar Al-Rabbash visited Al-Maysari and instructed security agencies to quickly track down and apprehend the attackers.

The incident took place in a governorate considered one of the most security-sensitive areas in South Yemen, particularly its central districts such as Mudiyah, which in recent years have witnessed notable activity by Al-Qaeda, including repeated attacks against Southern forces.

In August 2022, Southern forces launched Operation “Arrows of the East” (Seham Al-Sharq) in Abyan, aimed at pursuing Al-Qaeda and dismantling its strongholds.

The forces later expanded into several districts, including Al-Mahfad, Ahwar, and Mudiyah, followed by field operations to track armed cells and clear valleys and rugged terrain used as hideouts and transit routes by extremist elements.

Despite these operations, Abyan — particularly Mudiyah, Wadi Omran, and surrounding areas — remains a hotspot for sporadic attacks, ambushes, and improvised explosive devices targeting Southern forces and security leaders, including deadly incidents recorded in 2022 and 2023.