Southern Transitional Council

Historical Background

The emergence of the STC is inextricably linked with the history of the Southern Movement and the crucial role played by the UAE in Yemen. In 2007, former military officers from al-Dali established the Southern Movement (often referred to by its name in Arabic, al-Hirak al-Janubi, or just Hirak), advocating for the secession of the southern provinces³‘Southern provinces’ refers to the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) provinces, namely: Abyan, Aden, parts of al-Dali, al-Mahra, Hadramawt, Lahij, Shabwa, and Suqutra. from the north, and seeking resolution for grievances dating back to the 1994 Yemeni civil war. In 2015, when the Houthi-Saleh alliance advanced southwards to capture Aden, many Hiraki activists took arms and joined the Southern Resistance (SR), supported by the UAE.

Among them, Aydarus al-Zubaydi – a Hiraki leader from al-Dali – rose to prominence spearheading the liberation of al-Dali and Lahij from the Houthis, and was later installed as commander-in-chief of the SR. Appointed governor of Aden in December 2015,⁴Al Mawqea post, ‘New republican decisions to appoint a governor for Aden and an ambassador for Yemen in the UAE,’ 7 December 2015 Zubaydi strengthened his ties with the UAE and contributed to the establishment of the Security Belt Forces (SBF). However, relations with the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) rapidly soured. In February 2017, clashes erupted between IRG and UAE-backed forces over the control of Aden’s airport. In an attempt to curb the influence of Zubaydi’s UAE-backed clique, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi sacked the governor.

In response, Zubaydi announced the establishment of a 26-member Southern Transitional Council on 11 May 2017.⁵New Arab, ‘Banished Aden governor forms independent “South Yemen” council,’ 11 May 2017 As the STC’s commander-in-chief, he claimed to represent the southern people’s will and interests, forming an executive authority known as the Praesidium with diverse southern political figures. Furthermore, he took the lead of several UAE-backed forces – including the SBF, Support and Reinforcement Brigades, and Elite Forces – assuming the title of Supreme Commander of the Southern Armed Forces. In subsequent years, STC-IRG relations deteriorated, leading to occasional violent skirmishes in Aden and neighboring areas. In January 2018, the SBF seized control of most of Aden, ousting IRG forces. In August 2019, a Houthi missile strike in Aden killed several SBF fighters, including prominent SBF commander Abu Yamama al-Yafii. The STC blamed the IRG for enabling the attack, sparking clashes in the neighboring Abyan and Shabwa.

In November 2019, IRG-STC tensions were temporarily resolved with the Riyadh Agreement, a Saudi-brokered deal mandating a political and military overhaul. However, a stall in the implementation of the agreement led the STC to declare self-rule in April 2020.⁶Al Jazeera, ‘Separatist group announces self-rule in southern Yemen,’ 26 April 2020 In July 2020, the approval of an ‘acceleration mechanism’ convinced the STC to rescind the self-rule declaration, and eventually a new cabinet including STC members was established in December of the same year. The novel power-sharing government granted the STC with political recognition and provided them an avenue to partake in United Nations-sponsored peace talks.⁷Ibrahim Jalal, ‘The Riyadh Agreement: Yemen’s new cabinet and what remains to be done,’ 1 February 2021

On 7 April 2022, during the Riyadh talks, President Hadi relinquished his powers and established the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), an eight-member executive body led by Rashad al-Alimi and that included Zubaydi. The establishment of the PLC was instigated by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, intending to replace Hadi’s ineffective leadership and create a political equilibrium within the anti-Houthi coalition. However, lacking a common political vision, the PLC bloc proved equally ineffective, failing to confront the Houthis unitarily, while new internal tensions arose in Shabwa, Abyan, and Hadramawt.⁸Maysaa Shujaa al-Deen, ‘The Presidential Council’s Year of Failure,’ Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, 11 July 2023

On 8 May 2023, Zubaydi decreed the establishment of the Supreme Executive Leadership of the STC’s presidency. The new executive body includes southern PLC ministers, governors, and other prominent figures, aiming to establish the STC as an umbrella organization representing the southern cause. Pursuing this purpose, Zubaydi has appointed as vice presidents three southern PLC members: former Hadramawt Governors Faraj al-Bahsani and Ahmad Bin Burayk; and Giants Brigades Commander Abdulrahman ‘Abu Zaraa’ al-Muharrami.⁹Southern Transitional Council, ‘The issuance of Resolution No. (2) of 2023 of the President of the Southern Transitional Council to reconfigure the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council,’ 8 May 2023 This move ostensibly unified the UAE-backed forces under the STC umbrella. Furthermore, several southern political factions signed a National Charter demanding “the restoration of the state of the south with its political and geographical borders according to what was before May 22, 1990.”¹⁰New Arab, ‘Yemen’s STC, other factions sign ‘national charter’ calling for partition,’ 9 May 2023

In late 2023, amidst ongoing peace talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, the STC lamented its marginalization and stressed the importance of including the Southern Issue in the negotiations. Following the Houthi Red Sea escalation, the STC aligned decisively with the US-led international coalition. On 16 January 2024, Zubaydi demanded “military equipment, capacity building, and training for ground forces, as well as intel sharing” to complement US-UK airstrikes against the Houthis.¹¹Southern Transitional Council, ‘President Al-Zoubaidi: “Airstrikes against Houthis are not enough,”’ 16 February 2024 Domestically, the STC formed the House of Commons (Majlis al-Umum), a unified internal entity comprising the group’s key executive and legislative bodies.¹²Southern Transitional Council, ‘STC President Inaugurates House of Commons in Aden,’ 2 January 2024