A senior Saudi-backed security official was killed on Tuesday in violent clashes in Hadhramaut province, eastern Yemen.

Local sources said that the Deputy Director of Political Security in the the Valley and Desert Districts was shot dead by tribal gunmen in Shibam, Hadhramaut.

Armed clashes erupted between the tribes of Al Abdulaziz and Al Keda in Shaqiya area, due to the dispute over a plot of land, according to the sources. In the shootout, the senior officer died.

Hadhramaut is of strategic importance for Saudi plans for Yemen, most notably a plot to extend Saudi oil pipelines through Yemen to the coast. The region has seen increased insecurity and infighting between occupation forces and tribal coalitions, as well as being plagued by terrorist organisations.