Southern writer Ahmed Saeed Karama, today, Saturday, criticized the leadership of the Southern Transitional Council, accusing it of caving in to the Arab coalition and marketing the south as a gun for hire.

Karama said, in a post on his account on the social networking site “Facebook”, that “enemies before friends know that we have zero air, naval and missile forces due to the leadership’s acquiescence to Riyadh’s decision specifically to limit our capabilities in order to later make it easier to attack us.”

He added: “In approximately 2018, the UAE attempted to restore and maintain marine vessels in Aden, and the project was stopped by order from abroad.”

He continued: “We can buy and smuggle whatever quality missile weapons and naval vessels we want through our large coastal strip and our ports without permission from anyone, but such decisions require leadership that possesses a solid and bold national will.”

He pointed out that "the ports of Al-Dhaba in Hadramaut and Al-Nashima in Shabwa were closed by the Houthis about a year ago and we were unable to protect them, and the oil port in Al-Buraiqa almost annexed them after an attempt to smuggle a shipment of Maribi gas."

He stressed that “the leadership has bowed down to the coalition until we reached this humiliating military and security situation, with the exception of the ground forces only.”

He concluded by saying: “Marketing ourselves to the world as a gun for hire exposes us to danger in such a difficult and fragile economic, living, political, military and security situation.”

Karama's criticism comes in response to statements by leaders in the Southern Transitional Council, about the readiness of its forces to protect Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden and secure the trade line, and that it does not have any naval vessel or strategic deterrent weapons.

Analysts had said in media statements that Washington is considering supporting anti-Houthi forces in the southern regions and enabling them to protect Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, after the escalation of Houthi attacks against shipping lines and the threat to the global trade line in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden