Sana’a, Jan 9, (dpa/GNA)- Yemen’s separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, on Friday announced its dissolution after recent military escalation in the war-torn country and tensions with Saudi Arabia.
Last month, fighters of the STC, pushing for the secession of Yemen’s south from the north, seized large chunks of oil-rich eastern Yemen bordering Saudi Arabia, raising concerns about national security among Saudis.
The STC offensive also triggered tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two Gulf states seen as regional rivals.
Yemen was already divided from 1967 until reunification in 1990.
On Friday, the board of the STC presidency said in a statement they agreed to dissolve the council and all its affiliates as well as its offices inside and outside Yemen.
The council had failed to achieve its goals, the televised statement said.
The dissolution is intended to pave the way for participation in a conference on the future of southern Yemen planned in Riyadh, the STC secretary general, Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, said in the statement.
Last week, Saudi Arabia invited Yemeni factions to engage in dialogue after the STC unveiled a plan for a referendum on independence after a two-year transitional period.
While the UAE supports the Yemeni separatists and their demand for an independent south, Saudi Arabia backs the Yemeni government.
“We call upon various influential figures and leaders in the South to engage in the comprehensive southern dialogue conference, hoping that the participants will reach a vision to solve the southern issue and fulfill the aspirations of the people of the South,” al-Subaihi said.
He added in the statement broadcast from Riyadh, that the STC military operation in Yemen’s eastern provinces of Hadramaut and al-Mahra in early December harmed links with a Saudi-led alliance fighting Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
The STC’s dissolution was announced a day after the Saudi-led coalition said the STC chief, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, fled Yemen to the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.
A pro-Zubaidi wing in the STC reacted to the dissolution announcement, by calling on its loyalists to hold mass protests Saturday.
“The southern people are the source of genuine legitimacy and the voice of public willpower that cannot be bypassed,” the wing said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman hailed the dissolution as a “courageous” decision, and said a panel would be formed to prepare for the Riyadh conference on Yemen.
He added in a post on X that the envisaged forum aims to bring together Yemen’s southern factions to craft a “comprehensive vision for just solutions”.
The exact date of the conference has yet to be set.
The STC was founded in 2017 with UAE support. The council as well as the UAE have been officially allied with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government for years in the fight against the Houthis.
The UAE last week said it had completed the withdrawal of its troops from Yemen.
Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating power struggle since 2014 between government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthis, who control large swathes of territory in the north, including the capital Sana’a.
GNA