Yemen Government Backs Saudi Push To Reverse STC Gains in Eastern Provinces
By The Media Line Staff
Yemen’s internationally recognized government has thrown its weight behind Saudi Arabia’s effort to calm a new flare-up in the country’s south, after forces from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) advanced into key eastern provinces.
Officials in Aden welcomed what they called Riyadh’s firm position on recent developments in Hadramut and Al-Mahrah, where the STC has pushed out pro-government units and expanded its footprint.
In a statement on Thursday carried by state media, the government cautioned that any security or military moves taken outside official chains of command and without prior coordination with the Presidential Leadership Council, the cabinet or local authorities are “unacceptable” and risk deepening instability in an already devastated country.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has publicly urged the STC to pull its fighters back from Hadramout and Al-Mahrah, describing the latest deployments as unilateral actions that caused an “unjustified escalation” and harmed the interests of Yemenis and the wider anti-Houthi coalition. Riyadh said these movements were carried out without the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council or consultation with coalition leaders.
To manage the crisis on the ground, a joint Saudi-Emirati military team has been dispatched to Aden to work with the STC on returning its forces to previous positions and handing over camps to pro-government or local units under coalition supervision. Saudi officials say those efforts are ongoing and express hope the separatist group will agree to an “urgent and orderly” withdrawal to help restore calm.
The latest showdown comes after STC units moved into Hadramout in early December following clashes with government-aligned forces, then extended into A-Mahrah with little resistance, intensifying long-running disputes over southern autonomy and control of strategic territory.
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