The Saudi-led coalition vowed to protect civilians in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate, push for the withdrawal of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and enable local authorities to carry out their responsibilities in co-ordination with the UAE, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported yesterday.
“The Coalition Forces affirm that any military movements that contradict these efforts will be dealt with directly and immediately, with the aim of protecting civilian lives and ensuring the success of Saudi-Emirati efforts,” spokesperson of the Coalition Forces Brigadier General Turki Al Maliki said.
Al Maliki added that the coalition would maintain its ‘firm and supportive stance toward the legitimate Yemeni government’, and called on all parties to assume ‘national responsibility, exercise restraint and respond to peaceful initiatives aimed at preserving security and stability’.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) voiced its gratitude for the coalition’s swift response to its request to take immediate measures to protect civilians in Hadramout.
In a post on X, the council’s president, Rashad Al Alimi, also reaffirmed the council’s full support to the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to end escalations in Hadramout and Al Mahra and reiterated his call for the STC to withdraw from both governorates.
Separately yesterday, Abdullah Alimi, the vice president of the council, said the kingdom ‘has been and will always be a true backer of Yemen’.
“The kingdom is an essential partner in supporting legitimacy… its political, economic and humanitarian support has contributed to [strengthening] our people’s resilience and mitigating their suffering,” he said on X.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia condemned the STC’s military movements in Hadramout and Al Mahra, calling them unilateral and saying they would result in an unjustified escalation.
Seventeen Yemeni political parties and components welcomed Saudi Arabia’s stance on the southern issue, describing it as a just cause.
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