The Saudi-Emirati Rivalry in Hadramawt Has Turned Bloody, Serving Colonialist Interests Within Yemen
(Translated)
Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 578 - 17/12/2025
By: Ustadh Abdul Aziz Al-Hamid – Wilayah Yemen

In conjunction with the truce between the Jewish entity and Hamas, the pace of diplomatic work in Yemen increased, and international pressure increased for the parties to enter into comprehensive peace negotiations led by the United Nations. The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, held several talks with Yemeni officials, and with officials from the countries participating in the Yemen war, specifically Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and behind them America and Britain, in both Muscat and Riyadh.

The Houthis demanded that Saudi Arabia implement the roadmap it announced with American approval, which grants the Houthis the lion’s share of influence and wealth in the country. For his part, the Saudi Foreign Minister reiterated that the roadmap is ready for implementation, implicitly suggesting that the obstacle to its implementation is the Al-Alimi government and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. Indeed, Aidarus al-Zubaidi, head of the Southern Transitional Council, declared that the roadmap is no longer suitable. Government officials stressed that the solution must be based on the three agreed-upon frameworks; the Gulf Initiative, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which considers the Houthis an illegitimate militia that must surrender its weapons.

Thus, the situation in Yemen remained stagnant. However, Saudi Arabia recently exerted political pressure to enter into peace negotiations without preconditions to implement that roadmap. The British, however, did not like this because that roadmap marginalizes the role of the Al-Alimi government and the parties affiliated with it and enables the Houthis and Saudi Arabia to run the country in service of American interests. Therefore, Britain instructed the UAE to move militarily through its Transitional Council to Hadramawt, and moved several brigades from the temporary capital, Aden, towards Hadramawt in a move that was ostensibly to confront the rebellion of the tribal sheikh, Amr bin Habrish, who demands the rights of Hadramawt and whom Saudi Arabia supported by forming four brigades outside the control of the state, under the banner of defending the rights of Hadramawt. When the Transitional Council forces began to move towards Hadramawt, Saudi Arabia instructed Amr bin Habrish to enter the oil fields in the Hadramawt plateau under the pretext of protecting them from “invading” forces from outside the governorate, and to entrench himself there.

In a rapidly unfolding scene, massive forces arrived in Hadramawt, but they bypassed the tribal sheikh Amr bin Habrish, and continued their journey towards the cities of Wadi Hadramawt, to liberate it from the northern forces, affiliated with the Al-Alimi government. In a theatrical scene, the northern forces withdrew, allowing the Transitional Council forces to enter the cities of the valley one after another without resistance under the slogan of “liberation”!!

Here the Saudi response came quickly, as the Homeland Shield forces stationed in Wadi Hadramawt moved and seized control of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade positions and hence the vast Al-Abr (Al-Anbar) region, which has a large border with Saudi Arabia. At the same time, a high-level delegation headed by Al-Qahtani was sent to the Hadramawt capital, Al-Mukalla, to sign a truce agreement with the governor of the province, based on which Amr bin Habrish’s forces would withdraw from the oil fields, and the Transitional Council forces would withdraw and return to their bases outside the Hadramawt province. This clearly thwarted the Emirati plan to control all of the oil-rich Hadramawt province, along with the neighboring Al-Mahra province, which announced the handover of its bases to the Transitional Council without a fight.

However, the Transitional Council forces did not respond to that agreement and attacked Amr bin Habrish and expelled him from the oil sectors. The Saudi delegation is still stationed in Hadramawt Governorate, rejecting the presence of the Transitional Council forces there and pushing the newly appointed governor of the governorate to ask his government to expel the Transitional Council forces from outside the governorate, or threaten to resign in order to leave the governorship vacant, and further complicate the already chaotic political scene.

At the same time, the Saudi-backed Homeland Shield forces stationed in Al-Mahra moved and seized the governorate’s camps, institutions, and border crossings. Thus, the Emirati plan to control the entire Hadramawt Governorate largely failed, and the Prime Minister, Rashad Al-Alimi, was summoned to Riyadh for consultations. However, it is not expected that the Transitional Council forces will withdraw so easily, as they still control many sensitive areas within the governorate, such as the oil sector, ports, airports, islands, and others.

However, for the first time, a bloody clash erupted within Hadramawt, involving heavy weapons. Many were killed and wounded on both sides, all from the same province!

Thus, colonialism is indifferent to bloodshed as long as it is not its own. There are those willing to fight for its interests at a paltry price, even at the expense of brotherhood, Deen, and Aqeedah!

O people of Yemen: Islam forbids a Muslim from fighting his fellow Muslim except within very specific limits, as defined by Islamic Shariah Law. None of these limits apply to the current fighting in Yemen, which serves the interests of the kafir colonialist seeking influence and wealth in the country.

The solution begins with disassociating ourselves from all local leaders without exception, for they operate solely on the backs of foreign powers and work to serve the interests of others, even if they raise glittering banners like “Death to America,” “The Rights of Hadramawt,” or “Liberation from the Northerners.” All these regional and sectarian slogans are deceptive, concealing absolute subservience to the kafir colonialist.

This solution culminates in the establishment of the Second Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood, which will end the bloodshed of Muslims, protect their wealth, and expel colonialist influence and its agents from the land. We in Hizb ut Tahrir call upon you to rally around this great project, through which the goodness of this world and the Hereafter will be achieved.