Elite Forces

Historical background

After establishing the Security Belt Forces (SBF) in early 2016, the UAE decided to create the Elite Forces as part of its ‘tribal strategy.’⁵Nicholas A. Heras, ‘’Security Belt’: The UAE’s Tribal Counterterrorism Strategy in Yemen,’ Jamestown Foundation, 14 June 2018 The objective was to incorporate local tribal militias into the architecture of the SBF in sensitive or problematic areas like Shabwa and Hadramawt, using them in stabilization and counter-terrorism operations. In July 2016, the UAE started recruiting and training Shabwani tribesmen from the al-Wahidi, Bani Hilal, Balabid, and Bilharith tribes,⁶Yemen Shabab, ‘Shabwa: The Emirati Elite Forces… from inception to deployment (special file),’ 12 August 2017 though excluding the influential Awaliq tribesmen, with whom Abu Dhabi entertains a fraught relationship.⁷Nicholas A. Heras, ‘’Security Belt’: The UAE’s Tribal Counterterrorism Strategy in Yemen,’ Jamestown Foundation, 14 June 2018 

The training of these fighters occurred in Hadramawt, specifically in the al-Khalidiyya and Ghayl Bin Yamin camps, resulting in the formation of three SEF brigades in August 2016.⁸Yemen Shabab, ‘Shabwa: The Emirati Elite Forces… from inception to deployment (special file),’ 12 August 2017 At its peak, the SEF comprised seven brigades and over 6,000 members armed with modern weaponry supplied by the UAE.⁹Al-Anba Online, ‘The Emirates made it in a hurry.. Mohammed Al Buhar: The leader who was accompanied by defeats and injuries in all his battles (a failure story),’ 2 September 2019 Between 2016 and 2018, the SEF mainly engaged in operations against AQAP and Islamic State in Shabwa, while also safeguarding sensitive targets such as the energy infrastructure. 

When tensions erupted between the STC and the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG), the SEF decisively sided with the former. In January 2018, during the battle of Aden, SEF units supported the SBF against Hadi’s Presidential Guard.¹⁰Peter Salisbury, ‘Yemen’s Southern Powder Keg,’ Chatham House, March 2018 Subsequently, in the summer of 2019, the SEF engaged in clashes with the IRG forces in Shabwa, suffering a defeat. When the IRG regained control of the governorate, the SEF were temporarily relocated to Aden and then gradually disbanded. Since 2020, SEF activity has consistently decreased, eventually coming to a complete halt in 2022 following the formation of the UAE-backed Shabwani Defense Forces.

In a similar vein, the UAE established three HEF brigades in 2016, drawing from local tribal elites, former army officers, and members of the Southern Movement (al-Hirak al-Janubi, or just Hirak). Unlike the SEF, the HEF were seen as an extension of Hadramawt governor, Faraj al-Bahsani, who was also the IRG commander of the 2nd military district. After liberating al-Mukalla from the presence of AQAP in April 2016, the HEF maintained control of coastal Hadramawt, placing Mukalla port and the Bir Ali oil terminal under UAE influence. After reaching a peak in 2018, the HEF’s counter-terrorism activity consistently dwindled until it came to a complete halt in 2022. Major General Faiz Mansur al-Tamimi replaced Bahsani as HEF and 2nd military district commander in August 2022.

The UAE has attempted to establish other Elite forces in several southern governorates. Since 2015,¹¹Nadwa al-Dawsari, ‘Fantasies of State Power Cannot Solve Yemen’s War,’ The Century Foundation, 13 July 2021 Abu Dhabi strove to establish a Mahri Elite Forces (MEF), facing the firm opposition of local political elites willing to preserve Mahra’s autonomy.¹²Brian M. Perkins, ‘Saudi Arabia and the UAE in al-Mahra: Securing Interests, Disrupting Local Order, and Shaping a Southern Military,’ Jamestown Foundation, 1 March 2019 In early 2019, media reported that 4,000 fighters trained in Hadramawt had been transferred to Mahra’s capital al-Ghayda. Yet, besides these movements, no MEF activity was ever recorded by ACLED. In Suqutra, reports of the impending establishment of a UAE-backed Elite Force began spreading in May 2018, after the appointment of the pro-Islah governor Ramzi Mahrus, and again in May 2019.¹³Debriefer, ‘Emirati-backed SB forces arrive in Yemeni Socotra despite warnings,’ 7 May 2019 Despite these speculations, no activity of the Suqutri Elite Forces was ever recorded by ACLED.