Resolving the ongoing war between the Shi’ite Houthi movement and the invading Saudis is a tall order for the UN in Yemen, but in trying to focus on that in recent talks, they excluded another party, who is warning that peace is impossible without them.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) is demanding an immediate referendum on the secession of southern Yemen into its own country, along the lines it had before the 1990 absorption by northern Yemen.
With one war already raging, everyone seemed to ignore the STC’s long-standing demands in the talks, and indeed didn’t even bother to invite them to the table. STC leadership warns that lasting peace will not be possible if their demands are ignored.
Even acknowledging the active secessionist movement would be hard for the UN, as the Saudi-backed forces mostly just hold the south, the same territory the secessionists want, and are based out of Aden, the capital of South Yemen.
Southern Secessionists: Yemen Peace Is Impossible If Our Demands Are Ignored
Southern council disappointed to be excluded from UN talks
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