One of the most prominent tribes of Hadhramaut on Wednesday declared their allegiance to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is calling for secession of southern Yemen in a move that could constitute an unprecedented division in the oil-rich province, Yemen News Portal reported, citing pro-STC media.
Pro-STC media quoted the sheikhs of the Manaheel tribes, one of the most important Hadhrami tribes, as voicing its support for the demands of the STC to annex Hadhramaut to Aden.
The announcement came on the eve of a meeting between the sheikhs of Manaheel and Hassan al-Jabri, the leader of what is known as the second “Hadrami Uprising”, affiliated with the STC.
The tribal parade of the STC came in response to a similar parade of Islah party in the reception of al-Kathiri tribes and the General People’s Congress (GPC) with the tribes of Hamoum..
The move indicates that the parties to the conflict in the oil-rich province are moving to trigger tribal conflicts in order to seize the province’s oil resources.