Pro-UAE Forces Seize Yemen’s Shabwah Province

Governor expelled after long dispute

Southern Yemen’s coastal Shabwah Province has changed hands, with pro-UAE forces having expelled Governor Adyo, and replaced him with Awadh Awlaqi.

This has been a long time coming. The pro-UAE factions objected to the old governor, who led fighters against them back in 2019. The two sides have fought over the Balhaf port.

The Hadi government is largely aligned with Saudi Arabia, while the UAE more closely backs southern separatists and other groups. They are keen to retain influence along the Yemeni coast, and efforts like this one could make that happen.

The force running Shabwah isn’t separatist just now, however. Awlaqi is a politician with the GPC, and seems to be the UAE’s preferred choice as a palatable choice for governor who isn’t aligned directly against them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.