UPDATE - Yemeni governor announces full control of Hadhramaut after STC troop withdrawal

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Shukri Hussein and Mohammad Sio

SANAA, Yemen / ISTANBUL (AA) - The Hadhramaut governor announced full control of the eastern Yemeni province on Sunday following clashes and the withdrawal of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces.

“We have regained full control of all Hadhramaut territory, expelled STC forces, and begun administering duties and normalizing life,” Salem al-Khanbashi told reporters after arriving at Seiyun International Airport.

“From Seiyun, we will start managing the administrative affairs of Hadhramaut province,” he added.

The governor also said that some STC-affiliated pockets have been eliminated, without providing further details.

The announcement came a day after the Yemeni government said that it had retaken Seiyun airport from STC forces on Saturday.

Earlier Sunday, Khanbashi returned to Hadhramaut from Saudi Arabia after an absence of nearly a month following the STC capture of the province.

The governor held a meeting immediately upon arrival in Seiyun with senior military and security officials as well as tribal and social figures from the Wadi and Desert districts of Hadhramaut, an Anadolu correspondent said.

During the meeting, Khanbashi stressed the need to restore normal life and ensure the delivery of essential services to residents.

He also warned that “decisive measures” would be taken against military and security leaders who, he said, had failed government forces or assisted the STC during its control of the province, without specifying what actions would follow.

Yemen has seen an unprecedented escalation since Tuesday, after the STC forces took control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra in early December. The two provinces account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory and share borders with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of “pushing STC forces to carry out military operations” along the kingdom’s southern border in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.

The STC says successive Yemeni governments have marginalized southern regions politically and economically and calls for secession. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and reaffirm their commitment to the country’s unity.