Yemen's separatist STC announces dissolution as leadership splinters

A spokesman for the group in the UAE called the announcement by STC leaders in Saudi Arabia 'ridiculous news'  

News Desk - The Cradle 

A split has emerged in Yemen's UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), as leaders of the group in Saudi Arabia announced the STC's dissolution on 9 January, while its spokesperson in the UAE has denied the move.

In a video statement from the Saudi capital Riyadh, the Secretary-General of the STC Presidency, Abdul Rahman al-Subaihi, announced the dissolution of the group.

“We announce the dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council, the dissolution of all its main and subsidiary bodies and agencies, the cancellation of all its offices at home and abroad, and working to achieve our just southern goal through working and preparing for the comprehensive southern conference under the auspices of the (Saudi) Kingdom,” Subaihi stated.

Subaihi and other STC leaders are in Riyadh for a conference to discuss the future of southern Yemen, following fighting that erupted last month between the STC, which is backed by the UAE, and Saudi-backed forces of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).

The STC and PLC were allied in Yemen in a shared effort to defeat the Ansarallah-led government in the north of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

However, STC forces launched attacks against PLC forces in December, capturing territory in the southern governorates of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra.

Amid the military offensive, the STC stated it wished to create an independent state in Yemen's south.  

Last week, Saudi-backed forces representing the PLC successfully recaptured territory taken by the STC and invited its leaders to attend the Southern Dialogue Conference in Riyadh.

STC President Aidarus al-Zubaidi was supposed to travel to Riyadh for the conference, but reportedly fled Yemen to the UAE on 8 January.

Zubaidi reportedly arrived in the UAE on a flight from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after first traveling to Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, by boat.

In announcing the dissolution of the STC from Riyadh, Secretary-General Subaihi said that the council “did not participate in the decision regarding the military operation towards the governorates of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra,” which he said “harmed the unity of the southern ranks and caused damage to the relationship with the Saudi-led coalition.”

He pointed out that the continued existence of the council “does not serve the purpose for which it was established; to carry the cause of the people of the south, represent them, and lead them towards achieving their aspirations and restoring their state.”

Subaihi called on “the various influential figures and leaders in the south to engage in the comprehensive Southern Dialogue Conference,” hoping that “the participants will reach a vision and plan to resolve the issue of the people of the south, achieve their aspirations according to their free will, and form a comprehensive southern framework.”

The statement was issued after a meeting of the STC leadership in Riyadh, attended by prominent leaders, including Abdulrahman al-Mahrami and Ahmed Saeed bin Brik, the two vice presidents of the STC.

However, STC spokesman Anwar al-Tamimi denied the announcement of the council's dissolution, calling it “ridiculous news.”

Speaking from the UAE, Tamimi claimed that Secretary-General Subaihi and the STC negotiating team in Riyadh were being held captive by Saudi authorities.

Tamimi stated in an interview with AFP that this solution “is not real,” noting that “we have lost contact with our negotiating delegation in Riyadh since its arrival there.”

He pointed out that decisions related to the STC “can only be taken by the Council in its entirety and under the chairmanship of the president,” stressing that “this will be done as soon as the delegation in Riyadh is released.”