Qatari sabotage: Yemen besieged by Houthis in north and Brotherhood in south

Nora Bandari

The turmoil occurring in Yemen politically and militarily confirms Qatar’s continued support for the Yemeni Brotherhood, represented by the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) party, in order to threaten the Arab coalition forces in Mahra governorate and to combat all who threaten the presence of Qatar’s arms in the Yemeni governorate. The most recent development came with the dismissal of Mahra’s governor, Rajeh Bakrit, on February 23, as the Brotherhood within the legitimate Yemeni government sought to appoint the last of their loyalists in light of the continued Iranian-Qatari support for the Houthi militia by giving them weapons and money to prolong the war as long as possible.

Strategic oil shipping hub

In cooperation with the sacked Mahra governor, the Arab coalition forces sought to impose security over this “overland oil shipping hub” so as to stop all land and sea ports that Doha and Iran use to smuggle weapons to the Houthi militia in Mahra. After the crackdown on the Houthis intensified, the militia rushed to seek support from Islah. The Brotherhood then realized that the Arab coalition would eliminate the interests of the group and its influence in the Yemeni governorate. Therefore, Islah quickly sought help and support from Doha, and the solution was to dismiss Bakrit and appoint another governor who would be more loyal to the Qatari-Brotherhood plan in the southern province.

Yemeni media have pointed out that Qatar has an intelligence unit whose primary goal is to implement campaigns to provoke chaos and terrorism in Mahra and attempt to distort the role played by the Arab coalition forces in the governorate, which resulted in violent confrontations between joint Saudi and Yemeni forces and tribal gunmen on February 23. As a result, Bakrit was dismissed and Brotherhood member Mohammed Ali Yasser was appointed as the new governor of Mahra.

It is noteworthy that this shipping hub with the Sultanate of Oman is one of the most important outlets for Yemen, and it is also the most important port feeding the Houthis and the Brotherhood in Mahra, who plunder its billions in revenues.

Houthis in the north, Brotherhood in the south

Yemeni activists responded to the decision to dismiss Mahra’s governor, viewing the change as a Brotherhood decision issued by Qatar, especially since Al-Jazeera published the news before Yemeni media. They pointed out that Qatar’s primary aim is to bring the governorate into chaos and to target Saudi forces, adding that the Qatari regime and Brotherhood organization have infiltrated the legitimate government and are seeking to disrupt the Ar coalition in Mahra by appointing mercenary officers affiliated with Doha. Some activists stressed that it is clear the frenzied campaign launched by the Qatari-Brotherhood media against Bakrit was never normal and indicated that the dismissed governor was a strong thorn in the throats of the forces of corruption and terrorism.

In his televised interview with Al-Mahra TV, Amjad Taha, regional head of the British Middle East Center for Studies and Research (BMCSR), explained that what is happening in Mahra governorate confirms the existence of Turkish-Qatari-Iranian cooperation that uses the Brotherhood to strike at the legitimate government and threaten the southern governorates and Yemen’s security in general. There has been clear coordination between these countries and the Brotherhood in Mahra, and the Arab world should appreciate the sacrifices of the people in the south in combating terrorism.

The Southern Resistance Forces (SRF) stated on Twitter that what is happening in Mahra is a rebellion by the northern occupying forces affiliated with Islah and the Houthis over the local authority and the Arab coalition. The SRF previously warned the Arab coalition of the presence of forces loyal to the Houthis and the Brotherhood in Mahra and the Hadramawt valley. Yemeni media also stressed the need to confront the Qatari-Brotherhood scheme, which has aims to have the Houthis in the north and the Brotherhood in the south.