Yemen President Abdu Rabbuh Mansur Hadi fired the governor of the oil-rich province of Shabwa, Mohammed bin Adyo, who has criticized the presence of United Arab Emirates troops at a liquid natural gas plant in Balhaf, Shabwa. 

In a decree published by Saba news agency, Hadi appointed Sheikh Awadh Mohammed Alaulaqi as the new governor. The decree also said bin Adyo had been appointed to the post of adviser to the president, but in a separate statement, bin Adyo said he turned it down. Bin Adyo said in his statement that he knew that he would pay a price for standing with Yemen national interests and sovereignty. 

The dismissal of bin Adyo who belongs to the Islah Islamist party, an affiliate of Muslim Brotherhood, came after big tribal rallies led by the newly appointed governor and the separatist Southern Transitional Council, which was insisting that bin Adyo should be removed. The STC welcomed in a statement the dismissal of bin Adyo.