Saudi-backed fighters stage mutiny at Yemen border fronts over unpaid wages

The battle fronts along the Saudi-Yemeni border have witnessed a mutiny among Saudi-backed mercenaries fighting on behalf of exiled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The incidents have taken place in the Jizan, Najran and Asir regions, which were historically Yemeni territories.

The discontent is reportedly over Riyadh’s refusal to pay their salaries which have been unpaid for six months.

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Hundreds of Saudi-backed Yemeni mercenaries protested in southern KSA border because Saudi regime have not paid them for six months. pic.twitter.com/qeiDZMAmEY

— Eastern Lion东方雄狮 (@Sunkway_China) April 22, 2020

READ: Yemen: Houthis capture Al-Qaeda base 

The Yemen Press Agency reported that a video circulated showing Saudi forces shooting at a group of “Duty brigade and the 7th Brigade recruits” as they tried to advance towards the Al-Hamra area of Jizan, demanding their deportation to Yemen.

In a bid to clamp down on the internal strife, Saudi forces carried out a large-scale arrest campaign among the pro-Hadi fighters.

Saudi-backed fighters protest at the Yemen border fronts over unpaid wages on 22 April 2020 [Al Jazeera/Twitter]

Most of the coalition-supported fighters defending Saudi’s borders are poor Yemenis recruited with the promise of an income, however it has been reported previously how many have been exploited with funds ceasing once they are injured in combat. The Saudis have also made use of extensive human-trafficking networks to recruit fighters, including Yemeni child soldiers.