Saudi-Backed Forces Reassert Control Over Mukalla After Clashes With Southern Separatists

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

Saudi-backed forces deployed across Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Sunday after retaking control of the strategic coastal hub, which had been seized last month by southern separatists, marking a significant escalation in tensions within the anti-Houthi camp. The operation followed several days of Saudi airstrikes and resulted in the internationally recognized Yemeni government restoring its authority over the capital of Hadramout province.

Footage circulating from the city showed units of the National Shield Forces, which are aligned with the Saudi-led coalition, driving through Mukalla’s streets in armored vehicles as some residents gathered to watch their arrival. Additional scenes showed the forces patrolling areas surrounding Mukalla’s al-Rayyan Airport, underscoring the government’s effort to secure key infrastructure after weeks of instability.

Residents from inland Hadramout towns, including al-Qatn and Seiyun, said fighters affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, had withdrawn from military camps in recent days. The STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, had expanded its presence last month into the eastern governorates of Hadramout and Mahra, taking control of oil-rich areas and displacing units loyal to the National Shield Forces.

The move by the separatists heightened friction within the Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels for years but remains divided over Yemen’s political future. While Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognized government, the UAE has long backed the STC and its calls for southern autonomy or independence.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict for more than a decade, with the Houthis controlling much of the north, including the capital, Sanaa, and the government maintaining a foothold in the south. The overlapping alliances and rivalries among regional powers have repeatedly undermined efforts to stabilize the country, even as ceasefires and negotiations intermittently reduce fighting with the Houthis.

On Saturday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, praised the National Shield Forces for what he described as “record success” in reclaiming all military and security sites in Hadramout. The council serves as the governing authority of the internationally recognized government.

The government also appointed Hadramout Governor Salem al-Khanbashi to command Saudi-led forces in the province, a move aimed at consolidating control and coordinating security operations. Al-Alimi separately contacted Mohamed Ali Yasser, the governor of Mahra, to request updates on the handover of camps and facilities to National Shield Forces and local authorities. It remained unclear whether that process had been fully completed.

Southern separatists accused Saudi warplanes of launching new airstrikes on a military camp in Mukalla on Saturday, as well as on other positions where their forces were stationed. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has intensified air operations against STC-held sites and has also struck what it said was a shipment of Emirati weapons.

Amid mounting pressure and an ultimatum from anti-Houthi forces to withdraw, the UAE announced on Saturday that it had pulled out its forces from Yemen. The development has done little to ease tensions, which have increasingly strained relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. The two Gulf neighbors, while nominally partners in the coalition, have competed over influence, economic interests, and regional security, particularly around the Red Sea.

In an apparent effort to contain the fallout, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said it would host a conference in Riyadh bringing together southern Yemeni factions to discuss what it called fair solutions to the “southern cause.” The STC welcomed the initiative, describing dialogue as the only rational path to addressing political disputes, including what it says is the southern population’s right to restore its own state.

Details of the proposed conference have not been released. Saudi officials said the initiative was launched in response to a formal request for dialogue from al-Alimi, as Riyadh seeks to prevent further fragmentation among forces opposed to the Houthis and to stabilize areas reclaimed by the government.