Clashes Between UAE and Saudi-Backed Mercenaries Escalate in Yemen’s Hadhramaut
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, field sources reported that tribes in Hadhramaut carried out a targeted operation against UAE-backed mercenaries in the Ayas Khurd area, leaving several Emirati forces dead or wounded and destroying multiple military vehicles.
Published reports indicate that over 30 soldiers and officers from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) were killed or injured in the ongoing clashes in Ayas Khurd, Hadhramaut.
Southern Yemen has become a battleground for competition between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent years. Riyadh supports structures affiliated with the resigned Yemeni government, while Abu Dhabi backs the STC and allied forces to expand its political and military influence in southern and eastern provinces, including Aden, Shabwa, and Hadhramaut. These rivalries have repeatedly led to armed confrontations between forces supported by both sides.
Recently, Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra provinces in eastern Yemen have emerged as focal points of the Saudi-Emirati rivalry. The UAE-backed STC has taken control of oil-rich areas, prompting Saudi Arabia to demand their withdrawal to de-escalate tensions. These developments highlight the weakening unity within the coalition against Yemen and the deepening regional competition in the country’s south and east.
The STC, formed in 2017 with direct UAE support, has long been at odds with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, leading to repeated armed clashes in Aden and other southern regions. As Saudi Arabia’s direct role in Yemen’s war has diminished, the STC has effectively become the dominant force in southern Yemen amid growing Riyadh-Abu Dhabi disputes over the conflict.
