Report: South Yemen Separatists Withdraw From Riyadh Deal

Reports out of Yemen say that South Yemen’s primary separatist movement, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), has publicly withdrawn itself from the Riyadh Agreement previously negotiated between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and held control over much of the south around Aden, has long sought the reestablishment of the independent state of South Yemen. This was greatly complicated by the Saudi-led war to reinstall the Hadi government in power, as they’ve failed to retake the historical North Yemen, and have instead set up shop in South Yemen’s capital of Aden.

The Riyadh Agreement was meant to involve a power-sharing deal where the STC would get positions in the Hadi government, but the Hadi government has largely failed on this, and top Hadi officials have repeatedly disavowed the idea of sharing power with the STC “traitors.”

The STC now says they don’t consider the agreement binding any longer, and issued a series of statements calling for South Yemen’s independence and calling on the international community to recognize that independence.