Manama: The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in war-torn Yemen declared self-rule and a state of emergency in Aden and southern provinces. The STC deployed forces in the port city of Aden on Sunday, while five southern provinces rejected the move.
The STC said the state of emergency took effect and added that it would take control of the port of Aden, airport and other major institutions such as the central bank.
The latest move will escalate tensions and deepen crisis in the country as Aden is the interim seat of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi government ousted from capital Sana by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in 2014.
The UAE backed separatists STC is one of the main partners in the Saudi lead coalition fighting against the Iran-aligned Houthis. The STC have previously fought with government forces and in August 2019 they seized control of Aden. Their power struggle ended in last November, after they signed a Saudi-brokered agreement in Riyadh.
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Hadrami described STC's act as revival of armed insurgency and a complete withdrawal from the Riyadh deal. He warned that the STC would face the dangerous and disastrous consequences of such a declaration.
Meanwhile, the government and the provinces of Hadramawt, Abyan, Shabwa, Al-Mahra and the remote island of Socotra rejected the separatist’s claim to self-rule and described the move as a “clear and definite coup.”
STC Vice President Hani Ali Brik accused the government of obstructing the deal.
In January, the STC pulled out of committees implementing the Riyadh deal.
The Yemeni government blames the separatist’s for rebelling against the government in the southern provinces and Socotra province, which comprises six islands. Last Saturday, government forces took back control of a military camp in Socotra that was seized by STC separatists. On April 8, the Socotra Governorate blamed the STC of conspiring to kill Governor Ramzi Mahrous.
The Saudi-led coalition announced a unilateral ceasefire last month after the UN urged to focus on coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, the ceasefire was extended for a month. But Houthis have not accepted the truce.
Only one coronavirus case has been reported in the country so far.
Yemen has been embroiled in 5-years-long civil war that has killed more than 1,00,000 people, while 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN. The civil war in Yemen began on 2014 related to antigovernment protests and soon the Houthis took control of the capital, Sana'a and pushed President Abed Rabbo Mansour and the government to Aden. In 2015, Saudi-led coalition forces started air strike against Houthis, and the next year they started ground attacks.
