Friends of South Yemen
Lahij has always historically been identified as Aden’s base city. Since Aden was a port city, not many Yemenis lived there, rather it was used by many foriengers as well for its location. Lahij has always been one of the very fertile parts of Yemen and was nicknamed "Lahej Al Khathra", which translates to Lahej the green. This means it stood out from the rest of South Yemen which was known to be desert.
In 1728 Abdulraheem Al-Sallami (member of the Al-Sallami family who migrated from Sana’a) established the Sultanate of Lahij and started his own last name after his own name. Abdulraheem was shorten to Abdali. This was also to make the distinction between Al-Sallami and Abdali, since not all Al-Sallamis are Abdalis and therefore not all Al-Sallamis were considered royalty, although they enjoyed and maintain amongst the highest tribal respect. The Sultanate of Lahej remained under Al-Sallami/Abdali control until the Cold War. While the 3rd world was beginning to be recolonized economically, the Sultanate collapsed in 1967 after the British withdrew from Aden leaving The Abdalis and Al-Sallamis to fight the Russian-backed communist movement. From the late 1960s until the unification of Yemen in 1990 South Yemen was under communist rule, massive amounts of lands were taken from tribes and redistributed amongst the entire population. When Ali Abdulla Saleh assumed the presidency of the new united Yemen in 1990 he returned all the land back to their rightful owners. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula captured Lahij in early February 2016, but the government recaptured later on April.
Al Dali governorate was established in 1998, when the government merged a small section of Lahij with parts of Ibb, Taiz, and Al Bayda. Al Dali and Lahij formerly included numerous micro-states. They are economically dependent on small-scale agriculture, artisanal fisheries, and emigration (through remittances and investment). Their inhabitants, who are mainly tribal, formed the bulk of the military and security forces of the PDRY.
The “Hirak”, the umbrella name for southern separatist groups, was established in Al Dali in 2006 as the Association of Retired Military, Security, and Civilian Personnel. The association was led by General Nasser al-Nobah, Abdu al-Maatari, and Salah al-Shanfari until 2017, when Nobah began to lead it from Aden. He maintained this role until the STC captured the city. Nobah sided with Hadi during the STC takeover, while Maatari and Shanfari both started their own separatist movements in Al Dali – where they continue to compete with the group (with little success).
The western part of Lahij is home to Sheikh Hamdi Shukry al-Subaihy, leader of the Subaiha Resistance against the Houthis and of his own separatist grouping, which is made up of Salafist fighters. He is one of the commanders of the Giants Brigade (a force the UAE created and has extensively supported). Although a separatist, he opposes the STC and is popular among Salafists. His influence extends across Al Subaiha.
Lahij and Al Dali are now the heartlands of the STC, despite the fact that, on paper at least, its leadership includes individuals from all governorates. This is partly because most of the group’s top commanders come from Al Dali. Yet, even within the two governorates, there are a significant number of fighters who are not part of the STC or its Security Belts. The STC only has full control of the district of Al Dali, central and southern parts of Lahij, and areas of western Abyan near the coast. In 2019 other areas of Al Dali (which were formerly part of the YAR) became a front in the conflict between the IRG and the Houthis. The STC has no interest in northern Al Dali, but the Houthis, while fighting along the 1967 borders, hope to control all of Yemen.