Yemen’s UAE-Backed Separatists Endorse Hafter in Libya

Just days after having taking over the South Yemen capital of Aden, leading to a ceasefire and expected negotiations, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist movement seems to be acting like a government.

STC Vice President Hani ibn Brek issued a statement on Tuesday declaring the council to be in support of Libya’s Khalifa Hafter in his ongoing attempts to take over Libya, and offered to share separatist “expertise and experience” to that end.

That the separatists might be in the same camp as Hafter isn’t a huge surprise. The STC is heavily backed by the UAE, and they are also big supporters of Hafter. For that matter, Saudi Arabia, which seems to be aligned against the STC, is also pro-Hafter.

That they’re taking a position on the matter at all is the real surprise, and likely is a testament to how secure they believe they are in their present position. If the STC didn’t expect to keep Aden, they probably wouldn’t make any statement on Libya at all.