Report: South Yemen Govt, Separatists Near Deal Over Aden

Southern capital would temporarily be held by 'neutral' forces

Reports from those familiar with indirect negotiations say that Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist group are close to a deal that would end fighting over the southern port, and de facto capital, of Aden.

The STC, and its supporters in the United Arab Emirates, are presently in control of Aden. Under the deal, the port would temporarily be handed to Saudi Arabia, to form a new “neutral” security force including militias from both sides.

The deal would also see the Saudi-backed government nominally back under control, with the STC getting some representation in the government’s decision-making. The form of that representation is as yet undecided.

The STC has always viewed any alliance with the government as temporary. While the government considers itself the government (mostly in exile) of all of Yemen, the STC wants to reform South Yemen after the war, and has sought to ensure it doesn’t get sidelined within its historic territory, which is about all the government actually holds.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.