The First Military District is one of the Yemeni military regions and it is spread in Hadhramout Governorate and parts of Al-Mahra Governorate. Its command center is located in the city of Sayun. The District consists of 7 combat forces.

Most of the forces of the First Military District consist of the Republican Guard, which declared its allegiance to Al-Houthi, and joined to it in its war until today.

Because the First Military District is tasked with securing the oil fields of Sana'a regime, regardless of who governs Sana'a, Saleh or al-Houthi, the brigades leaders of the first military district announced their support for President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, and the commander of the 315th Armored Brigade in Thamud Directorate declared his support for the legitimacy of President Hadi, as well as the leaders of the 11th Brigade Border Guards and the 135th Infantry Brigade in Seiyun, as well as the commanders of the 1st Marine Brigade, in Socotra, and the 37th Armored Brigade.

This declaration of allegiance came to keep the oil fields that secure the funds out of the conflict to ensure the survival of Sana'a's influence and the name of the state.

After the resign of Hadi and the announcement of the Presidential Council, which began with steady and correct steps towards construction and development, and because Hadhramout is the richest in terms of natural resources, and where most of the remaining gas and oil reserves in Yemen are located, the leadership of the First Military District has refused to comply with the decisions of the Presidential Council and announced the rebellion led by Major General Saleh Mohammed Timis.

Military brigades affiliated to the First Military District:

135th Infantry Brigade,

Operational axis Thamud.

 Operational axis "Al-Khasha" Al-Khasha.

 37th Armored Brigade.

 Brigade, 23rd Infantry, Mica .

 315th Armored Brigade, Thamud.

 Brigade 11th Border Guards, Border guards shooters. 

The Houthis pushed al-Qaeda to take control of Hadhramout and the First Military District:

With the Houthis' rapid rise to power in 2014 and 2015, the Houthis pushed AQAP out of the key governorates that included Al Jawf in north Yemen and Al Bayda in central Yemen, toward Hadhramout in south Yemen.

The Houthis and their allied forces, including the Yemeni Republican Guard, shifted their strategic focus from attacking Militant Salafism such as AQAP, to securing their positions in the south .

The first military district handing over of Hadhramout to Al-Qaeda :

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took control of a large part of Hadhramout governorate in the presence of the first military district with its full strength and equipment, and it did not move a finger towards this control.

On April 2, al-Qaeda attacked a prison in Mukalla and released more than 300 prisoners, some of whom were senior AQAP operatives, including Khaled Batarfi who was a regional leader of AQAP and played a key role in al-Qaeda's control in the Arabian Peninsula in 2011-2012 on Abyan Governorate.

Al-Qaeda quickly consolidated its control very quickly over Mukalla, the fifth largest city in Yemen and the capital of Hadhramout Governorate.

The leadership of the first military district in the Yemeni army in charge of defending the city did not move a finger towards the fall of Hadhramout governorate in the hand of  al- Qaeda, and it did not declare at that time the state of maximum combat alert, but on the contrary, some of them fled from their positions and many of them pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and joined it.

the first military district handed over Mukalla branch of the Central Bank of Yemen, as well as army warehouses and supply depots to al-Qaeda .

Al-Qaeda also seized the nearby Al-Daba oil terminal in Shihr and Al-Rayyan airport.