Hadhramout: Pro-Islah Forces Reject Al-Alimi’s Decisions, Redeploy in Seiyun

Forces of the First Military Region, a unit affiliated with the Islah party, rejected decision issued by Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of the “Riyadh-Formed Presidential Council, to dismiss the military leader affiliated with Islah, “Yahya Abu Auja” from his position as the Chief of Staff of the First Military Region, and appointing another commander to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s forces.

Sources said that officers and members of the First Military Region deployed in the camps of the region in Seiyun district – Hadhramout province- with their weapons and began transfers of weapons and ammunition outside their headquarters.

The first military officers announced their adherence to Yahya Abu Auja, and their refusal to deal with his successor Amer Hatyan, the commander of the special battalion in the Hadrami elite Forces, according to the sources

Members of the “First Military Region” considered the decision to appoint Hatyan as a soft handover of the region’s forces to the STC.

Sources confirmed that an expected decision will be issued to appoint a new commander for the region from the STC to succeed its current commander, Saleh Timis, to ensure full control over its forces.

The city of Seiyun and its surroundings on Tuesday witnessed a heavy military deployment of recruits from the “135th Brigade”, which is belonging to the Islah Party in several areas of the city, Hadhramout province, eastern Yemen.

This deployment comes hours after Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of the “Riyadh-Formed Presidential Council,” issued a decision to dismiss the military leader affiliated with Islah, “Yahya Abu Auja” from his position as the Chief of Staff of the First Military Region” and appoint in his place Brigadier General “Amer Abdullah Mohammed bin Hatyan”.

Local residents confirmed that forces of “First Military Region” supported by military, armored vehicles and tanks deployed heavily in the streets and neighborhoods of the city of Seiyun and closed the entrances and exits of the city following after the dismissal of “Abu Auja” from his post in the First Region and keep him as commander of the “135th Armored Brigade”.

Residents pointed out that the security and military situation in the city of Seiyun and its suburbs is witnessing a state of tension and unprecedented military deployment in the city, which portends an expected military clashes between the elements of the coalition’s factions, similar to the scenario of bloody conflicts in the provinces of Shabwa and Abyan during the past three months.