STC Integrates Homeland Shield Forces into Southern Yemen Military Structure

By Staff, Agencies

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council [STC] has started incorporating personnel from the Homeland Shield forces into the official military framework of southern Yemen, a spokesperson for the council’s armed forces confirmed late Wednesday.

According to the spokesperson, this deployment is part of a broader restructuring of the Southern Armed Forces, aimed at securing the entire southern region of Yemen. The spokesperson also stated that additional units from the Homeland Shield forces will be redeployed to key areas such as the Ramah district and other locations across Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra, as directed by the STC’s senior political leadership, led by Aydarous al-Zubaidi.

The First Brigade of the Homeland Shield forces completed its redeployment to the Thamud area on Wednesday, the official confirmed.

The Homeland Shield forces were initially established by the UAE-backed Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council in April 2022. The formation was officially announced in early 2023 with the goal of “bringing peace to Yemen.” Brigadier Bashir Saif was appointed as its commander.

Tensions have been rising in southern Yemen, where the UAE-backed STC is at odds with the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, led by Rashad Al-Alimi, as well as the Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance. The conflict centers around control of southern provinces, especially Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra, where STC-affiliated forces have been expanding their influence.

The announcement comes on the heels of heightened tensions between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, particularly following Saudi airstrikes on Yemen's eastern port city of Mukalla. Riyadh claimed the airstrikes targeted illegal military shipments bound for UAE-backed forces, which led to emergency measures by Saudi-aligned forces, including a temporary blockade of the port and calls for Emirati forces to leave Yemeni territory. This escalation marked one of the most significant ruptures between the two former coalition partners since the war began.

The situation has been further complicated by the rapid territorial advances of the STC across Hadhramaut, Shabwa, and Abyan, leading to armed clashes with Saudi-aligned tribal forces. Saudi aircraft have also struck STC positions in eastern Yemen. These developments reveal the fragmentation of the anti-Sanaa camp, as competing foreign interests increasingly drive the warring factions to fight each other on Yemeni soil.

Officials in Sanaa view the UAE-backed militia network in the south as part of a broader strategy to weaken resistance, seize energy assets, and secure permanent military positions along Yemen’s coastline and islands, including Socotra and Mayyun.

From this perspective, Abu Dhabi’s partial withdrawal is seen not as a sign of de-escalation but as a tactical repositioning following direct clashes between its proxy forces and Saudi-backed factions, which have highlighted the deepening divisions within the coalition.