Yemen's Southern Transitional Council says it will dissolve after its head fled to UAE

CAIRO — Yemen's Southern Transitional Council and its institutions will be dismantled effective Friday, the group's secretary-general said after weeks of unrest in southern areas and a day after its leader fled to the United Arab Emirates.

Abdulrahman Jalal al-Sebaihi, speaking on Yemen TV, said a meeting was held to assess the recent "unfortunate events" in the governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra and after "rejection to all efforts to de-escalate the situation."

However, in an apparent indication of an internal divide, STC spokesperson Anwar al-Tamimi posted on X that decisions related to the council can only be made by it in its entirety and under its president.

"This will be done immediately upon the release of the Southern Transitional Council delegation currently in Riyadh," he wrote. "The Council will continue its positive and constructive engagement with all political initiatives in a manner that enables the people of the South to determine their future."

"No longer serves purpose"

Earlier this week, a delegation from the separatist group traveled to the Saudi capital of Riyadh for talks on de-escalating tensions among rival forces on the ground.

Tensions rose after the STC moved last month into the governorates of Hadramout and al- Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. That pushed out forces affiliated with National Shield Forces, which are aligned with the Saudi-led coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. However, the National Shield Forces regained control of Hadramout, the presidential palace in Aden, and has taken back camps in al-Mahra.

The UAE has been a major backer of the council, which sparked a confrontation with Saudi Arabia in recent days, after STC fighters advanced in Hadramout and al-Mahra and appeared to be preparing to secede from Yemen.

The STC was established in April 2017 as an umbrella organization for groups that seek to restore southern Yemen as an independent state, as it was between 1967 and 1990.

"Since we did not participate in the decision regarding the military operation against the governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra, which harmed the unity of the southern ranks and damaged relations with the Saudi-led coalition, the Council's continued existence no longer serves the purpose for which it was established," al-Sebaihi said Friday.

He said all of the STC's main agencies and subsidiaries would be dissolved and its offices inside and outside Yemen closed as members work to achieve a "fair southern goal" by preparing for the conference that Saudi Arabia said it will host to discuss issues in the south.

Planned conference in Riyadh

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman wrote on X that the southern issue has now been placed on a "real path nurtured by the Kingdom and endorsed by the international community through the Riyadh conference," which he said will be held to find solutions that meet the aspirations of the people of the south.

Mohamed al-Jaber, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, called the decision by the STC leadership "courageous" and confirms their commitment to the southern cause instead of "pursuing personal interests."

The conference in Riyadh, whose date has yet to be announced, would bring together influential southern figures and leaders without excluding anyone, he added.

Yemen's Shura Council, which is backed by the internationally recognized government, also welcomed the STC decision. Ahmed bin Dagher, speaker of the Shura Council said on X that it backs decisions that end "entities that perpetuate division and complicates the situation."

"It affirms that addressing the southern issue can't be done through unilateral projects or frameworks imposed by force of arms, but rather through a comprehensive political process," bin Dagher added.

STC leader flees to UAE

Earlier on Friday, the National Assembly of the Southern Transitional Council called for residents in the south, activists and members of civil society to rally on Saturday in Aden and Hadramout's port city of Mukalla to advocate for people of the south's "right to self-determination" and to express support for al-Zubaidi. However, it's unclear whether the march will still take place with the announcement of dissolving the STC.

Al-Sebaihi's announcement comes a day after the council's leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled Yemen by boat to Somalia and was later flown to Abu Dhabi, the UAE's capital. The Presidential Leadership Council said the STC leader was charged with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for meetings, and after he deployed STC forces to head to al-Dahle, where his village is located.

A curfew imposed earlier across Aden due to the security situation was lifted on Friday, according to Presidential Leadership Council member Abu Zarae Al-Mahremy, who is responsible for overseeing security across Aden.

The recent tensions highlight the fragile nature of the collection of forces, including the separatists, that have been fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels based in northern Yemen. One notable rift is between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against the separatists to push them back from areas they have seized after they refused to withdraw.

The civil war in Yemen, on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians. It also has created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.