The Southern Transitional Council (STC), the main separatist group in South Yemen, issued a statement Wednesday demanding that the Hadi government withdraw all forces from southern and eastern provinces, terming it a precondition for a return to the unity government.
The STC has long sought to split Yemen back along its pre-Saleh lines of north and south, and doesn’t see a role for the Hadi government in the south. The Saudis convinced them to join a power-sharing deal after the STC physically took much of the south.
This might’ve worked, but the Hadi government followed up by resisting giving any power to the STC, arguing they were never elected, whereas Hadi was at least nominally elected in a rigged, UN vote.
While the Saudis gave lip service to eventually fixing this, the STC had by this point given up. Now, they suggest that the only way they want to come back to this process at all is if the Hadi forces withdraw first.
This will likely be rejected, though if they did withdraw, it’s not clear if the STC would try to just take over outright or work on a deal with them as de facto occupiers of South Yemen. Likely when it is rejected the STC will use it as evidence that Hadi never wanted to make a deal.
Well, well! Some motion. Will this be a device to split North and South?
The whole reason Saudis were propping up Hadi — was to claim that they do not approve of splitting Yemen, and Hadi IS the last president of unified Yemen! However elected.
Should Hadi be removed, there is no vestige of common state. Saudi sponsored forces can become what they really are — Southern force, competing/collaborating ion how to set up a SOUTHERN state. Houthis would welcome this.
If this materializes — Saudis will get what they wanted, an influence on the composition of Southern state. Meaning no UAE in the picture. Even though, I have no idea if UAE is present anywhere in Yemen orcYemeni islands.
US will not be happy with outcome. It may not recognize two states. Literally , cannot predict US reaction. Since US interest in this mess was never clarified. We are nit helping Saudis, we have not been in good terms since 2017, and we pulled out their defenses.
This may all come to nothing — but the exaggerated news around Marib, followed by the call to remove Hadi, but accept deal with his forces — sounds like an opening.
Actually no north Yemen has border with ksa and they would want a unified Yemen under their sway. Influence in South Yemen does nothing to the issue of having Iran supported regime in situated next to their border.
Stc no matter what they say will align with uae rather than ksa simply because I think they r more ideologically aligned. With ksa stc will always worry maybe ksa will stab them in the back with realigning Islah or some other Islamic group where as uae is against all forms of political Islam.
That nation never should have been unified in the first place.