The Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) declaration of self-rule in South Yemen hadn’t amounted to much in the first days, beyond both sides condemning one another as unreasonable. On Monday, the first major fight erupted in the city of Zinjibar, capital of Abyan Province.
The fighting, between the Saudi-backed government and the UAE-backed STC, broke out on the city’s outskirts and spread rapidly. At least 10 people were reported killed in the fighting, with both sides claiming a victory.
Zinjibar, a city close to the southern capital of Aden, has often changed hands over the past several years, being occupied by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) during the Arab Spring, and then taken by the STC during their initial flareup with the government.
The STC has long sought to reestablish the Republic of South Yemen, which the Saudi-backed government wants to control the whole of Yemen, and says that the STC is seditionist for trying to break away from them.
There are (at least) three governments in Yemen at the moment. It might be plausible to refer to the Houthis or the STC as a “Yemeni Govt.” The Saudi invasion/occupation puppet regime, however, is not “Yemeni,” it’s “Saudi with a Yemeni figurehead.”
Quisling would also be appropriate shorthand.
Support all popular secession internationally. Donbass, Luhansk, Rojava, Chiapas, Saharawi, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Azawad, Chechnya, South Yemen and beyond. Unite and divide!
Uhhh… Soros does that to consolidate, kind of sort of…. just sayin’…
Soros cant control the crumbs. The Koch Bros. support worthy causes for sh*tty reasons too.
And how much damage did they inflict upon otherwise legitimate causes by infiltrating leadership and planning?
Even when they won, they lost.
True. They definitely sandbagged Rojava. But the movements themselves and their aims remain legitimate.
Yes; legit needs unmet and a source for future conflict if needed by geopolitical gamers.
Maybe this is a good sign the Saudis are backing out for real; the Yemeni feel confident enough to fight over the spoils of ‘victory’.