Yemen Monitor / Abu Dhabi / Exclusive:
The President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus al-Zubaidi, published a new speech on Tuesday evening characterized by escalatory rhetoric. In his first media appearance following a period of absence, he called on his supporters to continue what he described as the “struggle” until secession is achieved.
Last January, most of the Council’s leadership dissolved the body during a meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. This followed the failure of the UAE-backed Council to seize control of the Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah governorates, and al-Zubaidi’s subsequent flight from Aden to Abu Dhabi via the Somaliland region in the Horn of Africa.
In a post across his official social media accounts, al-Zubaidi stated that the current phase requires continued revolutionary work and adherence to the principles announced by the Council. He reaffirmed commitment to what he called the “Constitutional Declaration for the State of South Arabia,” a clear revival of political discourse associated with the secessionist project.
Factions of the STC in Yemen’s southern and eastern governorates have called for demonstrations supporting al-Zubaidi and the secession project, while rejecting the “South-South Dialogue” initiated by the Yemeni government and sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Al-Zubaidi’s appearance coincides with notable political developments, most notably the new Prime Minister, Shayea Mohsen al-Zindani, and his cabinet members taking the constitutional oath before the Head of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) in Riyadh. This timing adds significant political weight to the speech.
A Yemeni government source told Yemen Monitor that the head of the PLC has requested that cabinet members return to Aden and other liberated governorates within a few days.
This comes amid local and international concerns that STC-affiliated cells remaining in Aden and most southern provinces may carry out operations against the government and Yemeni forces, including the “Nation’s Shield” (Dir’ Al-Watan) units.
The source spoke to Yemen Monitor on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to brief the media.
