Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber, held the President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, directly responsible for the escalation witnessed in the southern governorates of Yemen.
In a post on the “X” platform, Ambassador Al Jaber accused Al-Zubaidi of implementing an agenda that has harmed the interests and cause of the people of the southern governorates and contributed to creating a rift between them and the Kingdom.
He stated that the Kingdom’s continuous efforts over recent weeks until yesterday to end the escalation and withdraw STC forces from camps in Hadramawt and Al-Mahra were met with persistent refusal and intransigence by the President of the STC.
Al Jaber revealed that Al-Zubaidi refused to issue a permit for a plane carrying an official Saudi delegation scheduled for January 1st to Aden, despite prior agreement with several STC leaders for its arrival to find solutions and outcomes that serve everyone and achieve the public interest.
He added that Al-Zubaidi issued direct orders to halt air traffic at Aden Airport, causing severe harm to the Yemeni people, describing this as an “irresponsible act.”
Ambassador Al Jaber pointed out that this measure taken by Al-Zubaidi undermines efforts for political, military, and security coordination and sets a dangerous precedent reflecting an insistence on escalation and rejection of de-escalation paths. It confirms his prioritization of his personal political and financial interests in executing agendas unrelated to the southern cause specifically and Yemen in general.
He said that Al-Zubaidi has made many unilateral decisions without any regard for his political commitment as a member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council. The most dangerous of these decisions was his leadership of the military attack on Hadramawt and Al-Mahra governorates, accompanied by security disruptions in both governorates, terrorizing civilians, and resulting in casualties among the people of Hadramawt.
He noted that the Kingdom has strived for several weeks until yesterday, exerting all efforts with the STC to end the escalation, withdraw STC forces from camps outside the two governorates, and hand them over to the Homeland Shield forces in Hadramawt.
Al Jaber mentioned that the Kingdom has made significant efforts to support peace, security, stability, development, and the Yemeni economy. It has also supported and continues to support the southern cause in Yemen, considering it a just cause with historical and social dimensions.
He also affirmed that the real solution to the southern cause will be through the political dialogue table, in a manner that satisfies the aspirations of the people of the southern Yemeni governorates, including the STC.
Al Jaber emphasized that exploiting the southern cause and competing over it to achieve personal gains, while excluding and marginalizing the people of the southern governorates, has harmed the cause and caused it to lose the achievements made, whether through the outcomes of the 2014 Comprehensive National Dialogue, the 2019 Riyadh Agreement, or the 2022 decision to transfer power.
In his post on the “X” platform, Ambassador Al Jaber expressed his great hope that the wise leaders of the STC would prioritize the voice of wisdom and reason to achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Yemeni people in both the north and the south.
This development comes at a time when areas in Wadi Hadramawt and its desert, specifically the Al-Khasha’ah area, are witnessing armed clashes between the government-aligned Homeland Shield forces and the STC forces, coinciding with operations to take over military sites previously under the STC control.
According to sources, the confrontations erupted following military movements aimed at expelling STC forces from positions they had controlled since last December. Meanwhile, field sources reported airstrikes targeting STC positions during these clashes.
The Governor of Hadramawt, Salem Al-Khanbashi, had previously announced the start of a security operation to take over military sites in the governorate, emphasizing that its goal is to neutralize weapons and prevent the situation from sliding into chaos or escalation.
Last Tuesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry accused the UAE of pressuring the STC to carry out military operations on the border with the Kingdom, which represents a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security.
In an official statement, the Kingdom said that the UAE has overstepped the foundations upon which the coalition was built, calling on Abu Dhabi to implement the Yemeni government’s decision that stipulated the immediate withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemen.
