Aden/Hadramout – Rapid military shifts in southern and eastern Yemen are coinciding with growing concerns about serious security repercussions. The leakage of weapons and ammunition from military camps during the changing landscape of control raises questions about the state’s ability to contain this outflow before it transforms into a widespread threat.
Over the past few days, the governorates of Aden, Hadramout, Al-Mahra, and Shabwa have witnessed notable shifts in the balance of power. Forces loyal to the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition have gained control of sites and camps previously held by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), redrawing the map of military influence in most southern governorates.
Last Thursday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, affirmed that the process of “receiving camps” in the eastern governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahra proceeded with speed and efficiency exceeding expectations. The governor of Hadramout, Salem al-Khanbashi, declared the state’s victory after establishing control over the two governorates.
These developments have been accompanied by mutual accusations between the Yemeni government and the STC regarding widespread looting and smuggling of weapons from military camps, before or during the withdrawal from several areas in southern and eastern Yemen.
Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani accused STC forces of opening weapons depots and leaving them vulnerable to organized looting during recent events in Hadramout and Al-Mahra. He described this as a “very dangerous act” aimed at plunging the eastern governorates into a state of artificial chaos, warning of the exploitation of these weapons by extremist groups.
Al-Eryani stated that these developments coincided with credible reports of STC forces transferring large quantities of military equipment, weapons, and ammunition from camps in the temporary capital, Aden, towards the governorates of Al-Dhalea and Lahj.
Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan warned against any unauthorized transfer, storage, or distribution of weapons, stressing that it constitutes a direct threat to stability.
