Yemen's Saudi-led coalition said any military moves by the main southern separatist group STC in the eastern province of Hadramout, contrary to de-escalation efforts, will be dealt with to protect civilians, the Saudi state news agency reported on Saturday.
The statement from coalition spokesperson General Turki al-Malki responds to a request from Yemen's head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, for the coalition to take immediate measures to protect civilians in Hadramout from "violations committed by armed groups affiliated with the STC."
On Friday, the STC rejected a Saudi call to withdraw from areas it seized earlier in December, saying it would continue securing the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra.
"It is time for the STC to respond to Saudi-Emirati mediation efforts by ending escalation, withdrawing forces from camps in the two provinces (Hadramout and Mahra) and handing them over peacefully" to local authorities, the minister said.
"The southern issue will remain present in any comprehensive political settlement and must be resolved through consensus, honoring commitments and building trust among all Yemenis, not through adventurism that serves only the enemy of all," he added.
The STC
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) is widely viewed as backed by the UAE and as controlling parts of southern Yemen.
“The STC currently controls around 52% of Yemen’s territory,” Turkey's Anadolu Agency, a state-run news agency, reported last week. “The Houthis hold approximately 33%, while about 10% remains under the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and its allied forces. The remaining 5% is controlled by forces loyal to Tareq Saleh, a nephew of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.”
“The latest developments come as the STC has intensified and consolidated its campaign in southern and eastern Yemen, and launched a new military operation in Abyan province this week,” Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported.