President Al-Zubaidi Delivers Keynote Address to the Large-Sclae Mass Rally: "Elite Forces for All Hadramaut"

President Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), and Supreme Commander of the Southern Armed Forces, delivered a keynote address to the large-scale mass rallies in support of the “Elite Forces for All Hadhramaut” in the city of Al-Mukalla on Saturday afternoon in response to the call made by the local leadership Executive Body (LLEB) of the STC in Hadhramaut Governorate to express solidarity with the Hadrami Elite Forces (HEF) and reject attempts to undermine the HEF.

The Full Text of the Keynote Address is here under:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

All praise is for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. May the praise of Allah and His peace be on Prophet Muhammad [PBUH], his family, and Companions.

O people of our great southern people, ladies and gentlemen, in this large-scale mass rally from various areas of the Coast, Valley, and Desert of Hadhramaut, dear leadership, non-commissioned officers, and valiant soldiers of the Hadrami Elite Forces (HEF), we salute you with the greetings of the revolution and the revolutionaries, a salute of pride, a salute of peace to the people of peace, in the land of Hadramaut, security and peace, and in all parts of our beloved southern homeland.

Today, I am immensely pleased to share with you this great large-scale gathering of a million people in solidarity with the valiant southern armed forces in general and with the HEF in particular, which have set a unique model in the cities of the Hadhramaut Coast since liberation from elements of the terrorist Al-Qaeda organization in 2016.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Since the invasion of July 7, 1994, Hadhramout and the South in general have been suffering from all kinds of oppression and organized crime, before ended up handing over the city of Al-Mukalla and the Coast of Hadhramout to elements of the terrorist Al-Qaeda organization, just as their partners handed over the capital, Aden, and the rest of the governorates of the South to the terrorist Houthi militia in the year 2015, so our people rose up and mobilized all their forces and potential with unrelenting determination, and may Allah, the Almighty, stand alongside our people who are dedcated supporters and loyal allies of the official brothers in the Arab coalition countries led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as the active presence and ground role of the forces of our southern people, along with the air support and great support from the official brothers, represented a milestone in resolving the conflict, these efforts culminated in the liberation of most of the beloved southern land from terrorist militias.

The twenty-fourth of April 2016 was a momentous moment in the history of this peaceful city. How could it not be possible? It was the day on which it breathed a sigh of relief as it witnessed the launch of the battle to liberate Al-Mukalla and cleanse the Coast of Hadhramaut and its plateau from elements of terrorist organizations, which, with its launch, constituted a pivotal point on the path of founding the HEF in a continuation of the glories of military history in Hadhramaut represented in establishing the Hadhrami Bedouin Legion (HBL) and the solid foundation of the southern army in the wake of glorious national independence in 1967. And here, Hadhramaut today, through its young elite forces, embodies one of the most important successes and achievements it has witnessed in the modern era; it is not the greatest achievement that we have the right to be proud of.

The HEF have become the pillar of security and stability in the Hadhramaut Coast, and are integrated with the rest of our valiant southern armed forces in the rest of the southern homeland to form an impenetrable barrier in the face of the forces of invasion and terrorism, accordingly, historical responsibility at this defining moment requires accelerating the dissemination of the HEF’s experience and the successes achieved by the hands and efforts of these forces in the areas of the Valley and Desert of Hadhramaut, and in all parts of our beloved southern homeland, nothing will preserve the security of the South and protect the interests of brothers and friends in this vital part of the world except the people of this land and its men, and these facts are proven by the experiences of ancient and modern history. The most prominent evidence of this is the great success achieved by the HEF in maintaining the security of the areas under their control, in contrast to the overwhelming chaos experienced by the cities of the Hadramaut Valley and Desert and the Almahra Governorate, which requires work without delay to expand the elite’s experience and hand over the cities of the Hadramaut Valley and Desert and the Governorate of Almahra to the southern forces of its own people.

Sisters and Brothers:
What the Pride and Dignity Fronts are witnessing in the various axes throughout the beloved land of the South, are escalating operations, mobilizing and hostile attacks by the terrorist Houthi militias, in an attempt to re-invade the South, and in light of their efforts to divert attention from these terrorist attacks and aggressive operations targeting the land of the South, and in the forefront of which is the repeated attacks witnessed in the Bayhan al-Izza and al-Sumud Front, confirming that these militias raise the slogan of supporting Palestine while committing acts of genocide and crimes against humanity in the South and Yemen, and practicing disinformation media campaigns in its heinous forms in mobilizing young people and throwing them into death, collect donations, win over public opinion, and deceiving brotherly and friendly peoples with slogans ostensibly advocating grievances and internal invasion and terrorism and serving Iranian interests, in an attempt to whiten its blood-stained page, destruction, terrorism, invasion and fascist Wars.

The ongoing attacks carried out by these terrorist militias, the military mobilization, and the attempts to re-invade the South, in conjunction with their operations targeting international maritime navigation in the Red Sea, are clear proof that they represent the greatest threat to the national and food security of the South, to the international economy, and to international peace and security, which requires coordination and concerted local, regional, and international efforts and cooperation to confront these dangerous threats. The time has come to re-align the compass and correct the equation in a way that puts things in perspective and ends the state of stagnation of which the South has become a victim and bears its burdens.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have worked in the STC to give priority to supporting peace efforts, dialogue, negotiation, and peaceful solutions as a permanent option, and we have been expressing our support for the efforts made by official brothers and friends in the region and the world with the aim of reaching a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace that addresses all issues, at the forefront of which is the issue of the people of the South, except the practices of the Houthi terrorist militias, which confirm their lack of seriousness and unwillingness for peace.

Sisters and brothers:
The suffocating economic crisis has been witnessed due to the war led by the terrorist Houthi militia, and the situation has aggravated even more since these militias launched their attacks on the ports of Al-Dhaba in Hadramaut and Al-Nashima in Shabwa, which caused the suspension of exporting oil and gas. In addition to targeting international maritime navigation in the Red Sea, this has produced a catastrophic humanitarian crisis that now threatens the lives of all the people of the South and Yemen, which requires urgent measures within the framework of a regional and international initiative to save our people from this unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

O heroes of our valiant southern armed forces:

Indeed, you are the protectors of the homeland, the security of citizens, the shield of the South, the belt of its security, and the security of the Arabian Peninsula. There is no doubt that you have embodied the most wonderful epics of redemption and ultimate sacrifice in various fields of heroism, and you have made great sacrifices for the sake of the security and stability of our beloved southern homeland. You still and will continue to embody the most wonderful values of solidarity and self-defense. And protecting civilians and the blessed land of the South, and this is our destiny and yours, but you have proven to the opponents before the allies that you are the impenetrable fortress on whose thresholds the hordes of the Houthi-Iranian invasion are destroyed, and the foundations of the independent federal state of the South are established on its entire borders, as per solid foundations that draw lessons from the bitter experiences of the past, and moving towards the future with a fresh spirit, upright principles, a historical identity, and a coherent national doctrine, the basis of which is upholding the interests of the people of the South above all other interests and considerations.

Praying for mercy to the blessed martyrs of the South and the Arab coalition, a speedy recovery for the wounded, freedom for the prisoners and detainees, and victory for our great southern people of the South.