AL MUKALLA, Yemen — Maj. Mortada al-Youssefi has more to worry about as commander of a government military unit in Yemen than the enemy. He has also had to figure out how to stop hundreds of his own men from walking off the battlefield over not being paid.

He is one of the many Yemeni officials who have been struggling to contain the growing anger of pro-government fighters over payment delays from the Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been propping up the divided country’s president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and for the past 18 months fighting his main opponents, the Houthi militias that rule much of the country.

The Saudis may be well financed in their campaign against the Houthis, who come from the north of Yemen, but they are very slow to pay, according to the Yemenis.

Speaking by telephone from the embattled city of Taiz, Major Youssefi recalled how he had calmed down his fighters. “We told them it would negatively impact our image,” he said. “And we agreed to give the married soldiers a week or two off to go work to feed their children.” The soldiers immediately accepted the deal and took turns leaving their posts in small groups to find temporary employment elsewhere, he said.