The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) seems to be eager to ensure its control over the South Yemen capital of Aden after fighting last week, and has reportedly arrested scores of people believed to be loyalists to the pro-Saudi government.
The government retook Aden last week for about a day, only to lose it back with UAE airstrikes supporting a separatist push. In keeping with anti-Saudi narratives from last week, the loyalists are being charged as “terrorists.”
The Hadi government condemned the arrests, claiming they were “politically motivated.” That seems to be the case, of course, but both sides have broken their former alliance and are vilifying one another.
While the Saudis are calling for a summit to resolve this, the Hadi government seems to be resistant to any talks, and are demanding the STC surrender unilaterally before any talks begin. The Hadi government took a similar position to the Houthi movement, which is why that war has dragged on for years.
The war in Yemen is turning into a free for all. MBS has totally lost control of the situation and will have to sue for peace on any terms available. This will all be a footnote, though, once Israel and Trump invade Iran. MBS to Bibi and Trump: “Bring it on! I’m calling in all my chips on this one.”