Saudi Arabia has urged Yemeni separatists to relinquish territories they have recently seized.
Earlier this month, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist movement, claimed control of large areas previously held by government forces.
The group announced that it now controls the entirety of the former South Yemen, which existed as an independent state between 1967 and 1990.
Yemen has been divided for years between Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran and seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 along with much of the northern territory, and the government, which comprises a mix of different factions.
The STC, supported by the United Arab Emirates, stated it took control of the eastern provinces of Mahra and Hadramout, claiming it aimed to oust a tribal leader and loyalist forces with links to the Muslim Brotherhood, and to counter smuggling allegedly benefitting the Houthis and terrorist groups.
Despite being part of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, the STC has acted independently amid growing regional tensions.
Saudi Arabia criticised the STC for unilaterally seizing these territories without approval from the Presidential Council or coordination with coalition leaders.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry described the move as “an unjustified escalation” and called for the STC’s prompt withdrawal from the two provinces.
A source close to the STC revealed that the group recently refused requests from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to vacate the territories.
While a truce between Houthi rebels and government forces has mostly held since 2022, this new escalation threatens to further destabilise Yemen, already the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula.
