Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has renewed its praise for the efforts led by Saudi Arabia to prepare for a comprehensive Southern Dialogue Conference aimed at discussing ways to resolve the Southern cause. The council expressed its appreciation for these efforts and its readiness to participate actively in ensuring the success of the conference, in a manner that contributes to shaping a unified southern vision consistent with what it described as the “struggles and aspirations of the people of the South for their right to self-determination,” within a defined timeframe and under UN and international supervision.
During a meeting of its Presidium held on Monday and chaired by Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the STC, the council affirmed its full support for the Saudi-led efforts to convene the comprehensive Southern Dialogue Conference and its readiness to engage positively and effectively to ensure the formulation of an inclusive southern vision that reflects the political aspirations of the people of the South.
This position comes just hours after the Vice President of the STC, Abu Zara’a Abdulrahman Al-Muharrami, announced his visit to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and his meeting with Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman. The meeting marked the first direct encounter between an STC leader and a Saudi official since the outbreak of the recent crisis in Yemen.
In a post on his social media accounts, Al-Muharrami said the meeting involved an exchange of views on the latest developments in Yemen, foremost among them the Southern issue, as well as discussions on ways to coordinate and strengthen joint efforts to support stability in Yemen and safeguard regional security.
Al-Muharrami’s visit to Riyadh carries notable political significance, as it represents the first direct communication between the STC and Saudi officials following the developments that took place in Hadramawt and Al-Mahra governorates in early December, and the subsequent strain in relations between Riyadh and the STC and several members of the Presidential Leadership Council.
Al-Muharrami is considered one of the most prominent military leaders in the South. He commands the Giants Brigades, which played a pivotal role in confronting the Houthi group before joining the STC. He later assumed the position of Vice President of the STC, bringing these formations under the council’s military framework.
According to political sources, Al-Muharrami’s visit came at his own request, in an attempt to open direct channels of communication with the Saudi leadership following the escalation of the crisis between Riyadh on one side and the STC and several members of the Presidential Leadership Council on the other, against the backdrop of differing positions regarding the Emirati role in Yemen.
Previously, four members of the Presidential Leadership Council—including figures affiliated with the STC—had rejected a Saudi statement calling for a halt to Emirati military and financial support to the STC and its forces, as well as to other military groups, including the Giants Brigades, the National Resistance Forces, and the Republican Guard affiliated with the Political Bureau led by Tareq Saleh, who himself met with the Saudi Minister of Defense over the past two days.
