An issue that was always going to come to a head at some point has arisen again in Yemen this weekend, with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), announcing full self-rule of the territory of South Yemen, and an effort to move to reassert the nation as it existed before 1990.
South Yemen existed from 1967 to 1990, mostly as a Soviet-aligned state. A civil war beginning in 1986 ended with South Yemen being annexed by the north. Southern separatists have remained active since, and with the backing of the United Arab Emirates have become a contesting power to the Saudi-backed “government” that occupies parts of the south. The Saudi-backed government rejected the claim of self-rule, labeling it a “coup.”
The two sides aren’t just suddenly at odds. Throughout 2019 they were fighting one another, with the STC winning much of the fighting, and a power-sharing deal meant to end that ultimately collapsing when the Saudi-backed government said it was “unfair” to have to share power with the separatists. From that point it was only a matter of time before they’d be back to fighting.
Such a move could substantially change the state on the ground for the Yemen War, as the STC hasn’t got major territorial claims against the Houthis, whose territory is overwhelmingly northern Yemen, and the Saudi-backed Hadi government probably isn’t going to be able to fight two civil wars at once.
It took all this bloodshed, destruction, hunger and the disease to arrive at the point the two peoples on the ground were ALWAYS in agreement with. North and South existed as separate states, and the South having list support from the Soviets, was and easy target. It was US dictated and Saudi dictated move — a quick solution that never made sense for either.
And as North and South have no territorial claims against each other — it is up to Saudis and Emirates to stop pushing for their preferred outcomes, and get out of the way. Better yet, US should get out of the way — and Saudis and Emirates would gladly stopped spending their money on US preferred solution, when the solution was there all along. The objective of getting “united” Yemen back together again was US objective. Let us see how long will Hadi continue fighting for the Humpty Dumpty that can never be put together again?
Freedom and liberty are anathema to government. Sadly, these folks will likely just be slaughtered by the Saudis, and the US will be cheering them on.
Good for them! Succession is a despicably underappreciated civil right. They Should reach out the Houthi. A coalition would end this thing once and for all.