Sanaa (TDI): Yemen’s southern separatist movement has called for a roadmap toward independence, saying it intends to hold a referendum within the next two years, as government forces backed by Saudi Arabia moved to retake territory seized by the group in recent weeks.
The announcement by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) marks its strongest signal yet that it is seeking formal separation from northern Yemen. The move is likely to deepen tensions with Yemen’s internationally recognised government and its Saudi supporters, who view the declaration as a major escalation.
The statement came just hours after the government said it had launched a military operation to regain control of Hadramout province, a strategically vital and oil-producing region that the STC captured last month with little resistance.
The separatists’ surprise advance in early December reshaped Yemen’s political and military landscape, weakening the fragile anti-Houthi alliance and exposing growing rifts between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, once close partners in the Yemen war, according to Reuters.
Yemen has long been divided between the Iran-backed Houthi movement in the north and a patchwork of forces in the south supported by Gulf states under the banner of the internationally recognised government.
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Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both influential OPEC members, have increasingly diverged in recent years, not only over Yemen but also on broader geopolitical and energy policy issues.
Yemen’s state media reported that Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, has formally requested Riyadh to host a forum aimed at resolving the southern question.
Al-Alimi said the proposed talks should include all southern political factions, including the STC, and be conducted “without distinction.” The request followed appeals from southern political figures who criticised what they described as unilateral actions by STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi.
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Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry welcomed the proposal and urged all southern groups to take part in the dialogue. Meanwhile, the governor of Hadramout, aligned with the internationally recognised government, said on Friday that an operation had begun to restore control over the province. He later announced that government forces had recaptured a key military base.
Both a Saudi-backed tribal faction and the STC said the operation was supported by airstrikes. STC spokesperson Mohammed al-Naqeeb said separatist forces were on high alert across the region and warned they were prepared to respond forcefully.
