Yemeni Coastguard in Action in the Bab el Mandeb
The Yemeni Coastguard, which is operated by the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG), has made a large drug seizure in the Bab el Mandeb area. In a statement made to aden-tv.com on January 5, 2026, a spokeswoman said that four smugglers had been detained and a quarter of a ton of amphetamines and hashish had been seized.
Drug and arms seizures in the Bab el Mandeb area have recently been made largely by coastal units of the National Resistance Forces (NRF), led by Major General Tarik Saleh, who, it is understood, has previously been loyal to the Southern Transition Council (STC) and sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.
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The announcement that the drug seizure was made on this occasion by the Yemeni Coastguard may indicate that the NRF is distancing itself from the STC, and indeed General Tarik’s post on the NRF’s X account made no mention of the seizure, was even-handed in praise for the assistance provided both by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and emphasized that the focus for the NRF was currently the land battle to recapture Sana’a from the Houthis. This suggests that the NRF is switching its primary allegiance away from the STC towards the IRG while trying to remain on good terms with both. Crediting the Coastguard with the drug seizure is an acknowledgement of the overarching authority of the IRG.
Hamish Falconer and British Ambassador Abda Sharif visit Coastguard patrol vessel Aden and the situation center (CJRC)
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The seizure will please the UK and Saudi Arabia, who have been leading a donor group whose task is to revitalize the Yemeni Coastguard. In November, the British Minister responsible for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, visited the Yemeni Coastguard's facility in Aden and was taken on a tour of the 200 GT patrol vessel Aden (IMO 4698611), built in 2011. British aid has recently helped refurbish the Yemeni Coastguard vessel. A UK official commented at the time that the British aid was not prescriptive, but designed to give the Yemeni Coastguard the time and space to grow organically.
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