Mukalla (Somalia Today) — A Saudi-backed tribal alliance in Yemen’s vast, oil-rich Hadhramaut governorate is pushing for autonomy, escalating a proxy rivalry with the United Arab Emirates in the strategic region.
The move by the Hadhramaut Tribes Alliance (HTA) challenges the authority of established, UAE-backed southern separatists. The alliance is recruiting thousands of fighters for a new armed force, threatening to fragment further a country already fractured by a decade-long war.
Hadhramaut holds an estimated 80 percent of Yemen’s oil reserves and key ports on the Arabian Sea—the power struggle centers on who controls these assets.
The HTA, led by First Deputy Governor Sheikh Amr bin Habrish, has shifted from demanding local representation to actively building a parallel administration.
In recent months, the HTA has established its own armed wing, the Hadhramaut Protection Forces. This new body operates outside the state’s military command, which is dominated by UAE-backed forces in the region.
A commander, Mubarak Ahmed al-Obthani, said there was a plan to form six military brigades and that 25,000 fighters had already undergone training, according to media reports.
Hadhramaut’s strategic prize
Spanning 36 percent of Yemen, Hadhramaut is the country’s economic heartland.
The Hadhramaut Tribes Alliance (HTA) was founded in 2013 to demand a greater share of the wealth from the region, which holds an estimated 80 percent of Yemen’s oil reserves, according to regional analysts.
The primary sticking point is control over these resources, pitting the Saudi-backed HTA against the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).
The autonomy push reached a turning point on June 22, 2025, with the issuing of a “Political Principles of Autonomy” document, according to the source text. The document reportedly outlined plans for an independent Hadhrami constitution, legislative council, and judiciary.
On October 12, the alliance staged a large-scale military parade in the coastal capital of Mukalla, showcasing four brigades of its new protection forces.
One alliance figure, speaking to The Cradle news outlet, called the parade a “political and security message.”
“Hadhramaut is steadily moving toward achieving autonomy,” the figure said, adding that the alliance seeks to be “an active party in the Yemeni equation, parallel to Sanaa and Aden.”
A challenge to the STC
The HTA’s rise directly challenges the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which also seeks to rule southern Yemen. The STC controls key coastal cities, including Mukalla and the Al-Dhabba oil terminal, through its Hadhrami Elite Forces.
Analysts said HTA controls the Inland Valley and the Plateau, where most of the oil fields are located.
The STC has accused the HTA of undermining its project for a unified southern state. Tensions flared in March 2025 when STC President Aidarous al-Zubaidi visited Mukalla and accused Bin Habrish of sabotage, regional media reported.
Riyadh, which shares a long border with Hadhramaut, responded by inviting Bin Habrish to the Saudi capital.
During the visit, Saudi officials discussed a security partnership. They announced funding for a 500-megawatt power station in Hadhramaut, according to Saudi and Hadhrami media.
‘An arena of conflict’
Sabri Salmeen bin Makhashen, an HTA leader, told The Cradle there is “ongoing coordination with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates” but stressed that “all political, military, or organizational decisions are made from within Hadhrami.”
Other observers are skeptical.
“The governorate has become an arena of conflict between the Emirati project represented by the [Southern] Transitional Council and the Saudi project,” Ahmed al-Hasani, a spokesperson for the Supreme Council of the Revolutionary Movement, told the same outlet.
He said the Saudi goal is “to limit the expansion of the UAE.”
Local frustrations have fueled the autonomy movement. An agreement in July 2025, reportedly brokered by Saudi mediators to allow fuel from the state-run Petromasila company to reach power stations, collapsed on October 8. The HTA said the local authority failed to meet its obligations.
Dr. Omar Bajardaneh, a member of the STC’s National Assembly, said the Hadhrami street initially welcomed calls for autonomy to gain control of local wealth.
“However, this hope faded,” he told The Cradle, adding that the scene “turned into political and administrative tussles.”
With the HTA entrenching its new forces and the STC refusing to yield control of the coast, analysts warn that the Saudi-Emirati dispute deepens the crisis. The competing agendas, they said, threaten to push the strategic region toward greater fragmentation rather than genuine autonomy.
