The Security Belt mercenary factions, one of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) militias, has on Sunday deployed security patrols along the coast of Aden to combat what they described as “provocative acts.”
This comes a day after Hadi’s Information Minister posted a picture of him on the provincial coast.
Security Belt commander Mohsen al-Waeli said his forces would “strike with an iron fist against any one intends to harm the interests of South and its state.”
The Security Belt is responsible for securing Aden, based on orders of the Saudi-led coalition. However, it is also one of several factions calling for the secession of Southern Yemen and rejecting the return of Hadi’s government to Aden.
The deployment of patrols will limit the attempt by northern ministers in Hadi’s government to secure their presence in the city, which in turn risks further infighting between Saudi-led factions and UAE-backed separatists.
