Saudi-backed
forces launched a wide-scale abduction campaign in the city of Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramaut Province, on Monday, detaining numerous residents and taking them to their own prisons.
Local and rights sources in the city confirmed that
Saudi-backed
“Emergency Forces” launched a sweeping arrest campaign targeting participants in a protest against the establishment of the so-called “Coordination Council,” which is affiliated with Riyadh.
According to the sources, hundreds of armed personnel deployed in military vehicles across Mukalla’s streets and neighborhoods, pursuing protesters into residential areas as they called for an end to Saudi tutelage.
The sources said Saudi Arabia is seeking to impose a new reality on the people of Hadhramaut and other governorates under its control through the use of armed force and by creating political and social entities loyal to Riyadh.
They added that members of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) delegation, along with Sheikh Amr bin Habrish Al-Aliyi, head of the Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance, are still in custody in Riyadh, where they have been held since January.
Mukalla has witnessed widespread popular opposition to the establishment of the “Coordination Council,” headed by
Saudi-backed
Governor Salem Al-Khanbashi.
Protesters have chanted slogans rejecting the council, saying it further entrenches Saudi tutelage over oil-rich Hadhramaut.
Meanwhile,
Saudi-backed
forces had already deployed heavily across the city, setting up new armed checkpoints and imposing tight security measures targeting protesters, as the STC prepared to organize mass rallies in Mukalla, Aden, Seiyun, and other major cities on Tuesday.
