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Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam
Thousands of people rallied on Saturday in Yemen's southern port city of Aden in a show of support for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), amid conflicting reports over the group's alleged self-dissolution.
Pro-secession participants, some traveling from neighboring southern provinces, gathered in Aden, the seat of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). Demonstrators held portraits of STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi and chanted slogans accusing Saudi Arabia of backing the PLC's efforts to retake areas previously seized by the STC.
The STC, a group seeking southern Yemen's independence and allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), seized parts of southern and eastern Yemen in December in advances that heightened tensions with Saudi Arabia.
Over the past few days, Saudi-backed forces largely regained control of these areas. Rashad al-Alimi, head of the PLC, said in a televised statement on Saturday that all contested cities had been brought under their control.
On Friday, an STC delegation in Riyadh announced on Saudi state media the dissolution of the group. However, the STC's leadership strongly denied this, describing it as "fabricated and legally void." The council said the claims were made under coercion and without any legitimate authority, insisting that it remains intact and continues to operate normally.
The STC delegation was in Riyadh for political consultations but was reportedly detained. Al-Zubaidi, the STC leader, did not attend the talks and had secretly left Yemen for the UAE.
Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into Yemen's ruling PLC in 2022, the STC continues to push for sovereignty for the south, fuelling recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources.
