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Yemen’s Interior Minister Ibrahim Haydan on Sunday warned military and security officials in the temporary capital Aden against distributing weapons without official authorization.
In a written notice, Haydan urged full compliance with an order issued by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi, which bans the transfer of weapons from Aden to other provinces without state approval, according to a statement published on the Interior Ministry’s website.
Haydan stressed that all weapons must remain under the control of official institutions and warned against their unauthorized transport, distribution or sale.
He said any movement, storage or distribution of arms outside official channels threatens security, stability and social peace, and undermines national efforts to uphold public order and the rule of law.
Military and security units were instructed to immediately identify and hand over any weapons falling under this scope to official institutions.
Citizens were also urged to cooperate with security forces.
The statement warned that those who fail to comply with the directive would face legal consequences.
The warning comes amid heightened tensions following an escalation in Yemen since Tuesday, after forces of the Southern Transitional Council took control of the Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra provinces in early December.
The two provinces account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory and border Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has accused the United Arab Emirates of pushing STC forces to conduct military operations along its southern border in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra, an allegation Abu Dhabi has denied.
The STC says southern regions have been politically and economically marginalized by successive Yemeni governments and calls for secession, while Yemeni authorities reject the claim and reaffirm their commitment to the country’s unity.
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