Tribesmen Prevent UAE-backed Forces from Establishing Camp in Yemen's Hadramout

 Tribal leaders refused the UAE-backed separatist forces to establish a camp in the Ad Dis district in Hadhramout province, east of Yemen, local sources said on Tuesday.

 Local sources indicated that the  Al-Namuri tribe prevented the UAE forces and the elite forces from establishing a camp for them in the Ras Baghshwa area in the Ad Dis district, which overlooks the Arabian Sea.

 According to the sources, the tribesmen deployed dozens of armed persons to prevent the establishment of any camp amid tension in the area.

Al-Namuri tribe in the Ad Dis district claims ownership of the land where arrangements are being made to establish a pro-UAE Coast Guard camp.

The tribesmen in the Ras Baghshwa area vowed to escalate if the forces decided to proceed with establishing the camp. Residents in Ras Baghshwa say the site, which will be transformed into a military facility, is considered the only park and outlet for the people of the area.

 Southern separatists keep intensifying their military presence in Hadramout province, where the majority of people still reject to be governed by the Southern Transitional Council, which seeks secession from North Yemen and acts as the representative of the southern provinces.

 In February, the head of the Southern Transitional Council  (STC), Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, demanded that the cities of the Hadhramout Valley and Desert be handed over to the Hadhrami Elite Forces, a move aimed at boosting the separatist dominance of South Yemen.

Over the past months, the separatists in Hadramout have intensified efforts to dislodge the Nation's Shield Forces and other military units loyal to the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which is the UN-recognized authority in Yemen.

The PLC established the Nation's Shield Forces last year with support from Saudi Arabia. Sources estimate that it has about 15000 fighters.

Sources say that the formation of the Shield Forces aimed to prevent the STC fighters from seizing control of Hadramout, especially the most vital coastal region, and to ensure that the province does not fall out of legitimate authority.

Over the past few days, the Shield Forces in Hadramout began deploying forces in areas controlled by the STC, stoking tensions in the province.

The STC has grown powerful over the past six years. However, internal disputes keep rising, and opposition in South Yemen is growing, which has hindered the implementation of its agenda.