SUMMARY

Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance (HTA) promotion of self-rule for Hadramawt, rather than southern separatism, led it onto a collision course with the southern separatist movement Southern Transitional Council (STC) as it began expanding its influence in Hadramawt, in particular after their July 2022 coup of the regions governor (see Giants Brigades, STC - Islah). In October 2025, they formed an armed wing with Saudi Arabian funding, called the Hadramaut Protection Forces, with the express aim of countering the STC. STC's commander in Hadramawt declared that they would resist HTA in the “Great Hadramawt Battle” on 25 November 2025.

On 29 November, HTA occupied the PetroMasila oil field in Hadramawt, after which STC sent forces to expel the HTA. Clashes erupted in December around the PetroMasila oil fields, and soon spread to other parts of Hadramawt as STC rapidly advanced, reportedly backed by airstrikes conducted by the United Arab Emirates. STC soon also clashed with the Forces of the Presidential Leadership Council, as they sought to establish full control of Hadramawt. The late-December Saudi intervention, backing both the HTA and the Presidential Leadership Council with airstrikes, turned the tide on STC, leading to their withdrawal from Hadramawt in January 2026.