Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council says close to declaring statehood in south

Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) said that it is getting closer to declaring an independent state in the south.

"The south is approaching a decisive moment embodied by the declaration of a state, and this hope has become nearly complete," Ali al-Kathiri, head of the STC's National Assembly, said on Saturday during a meeting with local dignitaries and tribal figures from Hadramout, as cited by the council's official website.

He called for "fortifying the internal front against any chaos or divisions in order to preserve the achievements made," he added.

Addressing local and regional calls for the withdrawal of STC forces from Hadramaut and Al-Mahra provinces in eastern Yemen, Kathiri claimed that the STC "has not attacked anyone."

"The people of the south are defending their land, which they liberated," he said.

Kathiri expressed willingness to "maintain relations with brothers in the Arab Coalition countries, foremost among them Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates."

He, however, expressed rejection of "any attempts to break the will of the people of the south by parties that failed to liberate their own areas and are seeking to liquidate the cause of the southern people," in reference to the internationally recognized government fighting the Houthi group.

There was no immediate comment from the Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia or the UAE on the comments.

On Friday evening, Hadramout witnessed a new military escalation that resulted in casualties during clashes between STC forces and the Hadramout Tribes Alliance, which calls for self-rule in the province.

Subsequently, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi called on the Saudi-led coalition to take all necessary measures to protect civilians in Hadramout and support the army in enforcing de-escalation.

He also renewed his demand for the immediate withdrawal of STC forces from Hadramout and Mahra.

Since Dec. 3, the STC forces have taken control of parts of Hadramout following clashes with the Hadramout Tribes Alliance and government-aligned First Military Region forces. Four days later, STC forces expanded their control to Mahra, which had been under government authority.

The STC repeatedly claims that successive governments have politically and economically marginalized southern regions and calls for their separation from the north—claims rejected by the Yemeni authorities, as they insist on preserving the country's territorial unity.

On May 22, 1990, the Yemen Arab Republic (North) unified with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South) to form the Republic of Yemen.