Yemen’s Southern Separatists Pull Out of Riyadh Talks

Repeated efforts to get a southern power-sharing deal in Yemen once again are faltering, with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) pulling out of talks on the ‘Riyadh agreement,” citing irresponsible actions by the Saudi-backed government.

The STC has designs on secession of South Yemen, while the Saudi-backed government opposes it. The deal was meant to delay this issue, with both sides sharing power until the current war is over. The government has resisted any real power-sharing, however, saying the STC has no right to powers.

The problem is, in the absence of talks, the UAE-backed STC has proven it can seize much of South Yemen for itself and run it outright. The government, by contrast, seems to accomplish little but push for Saudi involvement and then sabotage the deals the Saudis make.

This isn’t the end of the Riyadh agreement necessarily, as the deal was already revisited before for lack of any better ideas. Still, as time goes on, it looks less likely the two sides are going to reach any meaningful deal, and the government is just hoping that at some point the STC won’t be in a position to make demands anymore.