Aden: Yemen’s internationally-recognised government on Thursday backed Saudi Arabia’s call to ease tensions in the country’s southern regions, as military movements by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) continue to strain the anti-Houthi alliance.
In a statement carried by the state-run Saba news agency, the Yemeni government welcomed what it described as Saudi Arabia’s clear, balanced and responsible stance toward the latest developments in Hadramout and Al-Mahrah provinces.
The government warned that any security or military actions taken outside state authority and without coordination with the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), the government, or local authorities represent an “unacceptable source of tension” and impose additional burdens on the war-ravaged country.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said earlier Thursday that recent STC troop deployments in the two southern Yemeni provinces constituted an “unjustified escalation” that undermines Yemeni interests and complicates Saudi Arabia-led coalition efforts.
Riyadh announced that a joint Saudi-Emirati military delegation had arrived in Aden to coordinate with the STC on withdrawing its forces from the areas in an orderly and timely manner and transferring military camps to government-affiliated or local forces.
Tensions escalated on December 3 when STC forces took control of Hadramout after clashes with pro-government units, accusing them of maintaining ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The STC also criticised the PLC for failing to launch a serious campaign against the Houthi group.
STC forces then expanded into Al-Mahrah without reported resistance, and have since recruited local forces in both provinces despite repeated de-escalation calls from the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia, Xinhua news agency reported.
Later, STC forces launched a new large-scale military operation in the southern province of Abyan.
Earlier this week, the STC gained allegiance from more than a dozen ministers within the central government. Meanwhile, eight southern provinces under STC control endorsed growing calls for the STC’s separation.
Amid the STC’s expanding military presence in several strategic provinces, Saudi Arabia has suspended the issuance of permits for ships to enter the STC-controlled port of Aden.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces captured Sanaa and large swathes of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally-recognised government.
Formed in 2017, the STC seeks self-determination and eventual independence for southern Yemen. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into the PLC in 2022, the group continues to push for southern sovereignty, leading to recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources.
The STC has accused previous Yemeni governments of marginalising the south politically and economically, which Yemeni authorities have rejected as they continuously stress the importance of territorial unity.
(IANS)
