Yemen’s interior minister warns officials in Aden against unauthorized arms distribution

Yemen's interior minister warned military and security officials in the temporary capital Aden on Sunday not to distribute weapons without official authorization.

Ibrahim Haydan issued a written notice urging full compliance with an order from 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 posted on the Interior Ministry's website.

Haydan stressed that arms must remain under the control of official institutions, warning against their unauthorized transport, distribution or sale.

He said any movement, storage or distribution of arms outside official channels posed a threat to security, stability and social peace and undermined national efforts to uphold public order and the rule of law.

Military and security units were instructed to identify and hand over any weapons falling under this scope to official institutions immediately.

Citizens were also urged to cooperate with security forces.

The statement emphasized that those failing to comply with the directive would face legal consequences.

Yemen has seen an unprecedented escalation since Tuesday after forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which advocates southern secession, took control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra in early December. The two provinces account for nearly half of Yemen's territory and share borders with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has accused the United Arab Emirates of "pushing STC forces to carry out military operations" along the kingdom's southern border in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.

The STC says successive Yemeni governments have marginalized southern regions politically and economically and calls for secession. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and reaffirm their commitment to the country's unity.