Yemeni government forces take over new military camps in Hadhramaut

Yemeni government forces have taken control of additional military camps in the eastern province of Hadhramaut, amid ongoing efforts by the country’s leadership to curb armed formations operating outside state institutions, local media reported.

The “Homeland Shield” forces took over several military camps from the Yemeni Emergency Forces in the district of Rammah in Hadhramaut, Yemen TV channel said.

The Emergency Forces are loyal to the internationally recognized government but do not fall under the Defense Ministry. They were formed with support from the Saudi-led coalition after the establishment of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council in 2022.

“The handover included the headquarters of the 11th Border Guard Brigade, the second battalion’s headquarters, military checkpoints at the entrances to Rammah district, and the local security administration building,” an unnamed military source told the channel.

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The source said additional military positions and barracks in Thamud district would later be transferred to the “Homeland Shield” forces, followed by the Ahqaf camp and other military sites across Hadhramaut, without providing further details.

Two days earlier, government forces took over military sites in the areas of al-Adwas, Haswayn and Ras Huwayrah, which lie along the corridor linking Hadhramaut’s coast and valley.

The move followed fighting last month between Yemeni government forces and the Southern Transitional Council, the country’s main separatist group, after the STC captured Hadhramaut and the neighboring Al-Mahra province.

Government forces recaptured the two provinces in the following weeks, while the STC dissolved itself early this month.

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