The Southern Transitional Council said it will allow Riyadh-aligned National Shield forces to deploy in Hadramawt and Mahra, territories the STC seized in a surprise December offensive. Saudi officials say the arrangement falls short and insist the STC must withdraw completely to meet Riyadh's security demands. Analysts call the measure a likely "face-saving" step, while recent Saudi strikes and the UAE's announced troop withdrawal have further raised regional tensions and complicated peace efforts.
Yemen's STC Agrees To Host Riyadh-Aligned Forces In Hadramawt And Mahra As Tensions With Saudi Arabia Continue
The separatists of the Southern Transitional Council want to revive the former independent country of South Yemen (Saleh Al-OBEIDI)(Saleh Al-OBEIDI/AFP/AFP)
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced on Thursday that Riyadh-aligned government units — described as the National Shield forces — will be deployed to areas of Hadramawt and Mahra recently seized by the UAE-backed separatists. The move is presented by the STC as a partial integration of forces, but Saudi officials indicate it may not satisfy Riyadh's security demands.
The STC said in a statement: "Today, we launched an operation to integrate the southern National Shield forces so that they can assume the responsibilities and missions that fall to our armed forces." The group added that a National Shield brigade would be positioned in "areas of the Hadramawt and Mahra governorates, as agreed."
Saudi Response And Continued Doubts
A source close to the Saudi government, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Riyadh's security needs would be met only if the STC fully withdrew from Hadramawt and Mahra. The source described the proposed redeployment as insufficient and said:
"We have to wait and see what is carried out on the ground."Another source close to the Saudi military confirmed the Riyadh-led coalition is closely monitoring the situation and conducting its own assessments.
Regional Fallout And Context
The STC's surprise offensive last month, which seized the resource-rich provinces of Hadramawt and Mahra, has heightened friction between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — two countries that have been allied in Yemen but back different factions within the internationally recognised Yemeni government.
On Tuesday the Saudi-led coalition said it struck what it described as a shipment of Emirati weapons bound for the separatists, a claim Abu Dhabi denies. Following Saudi strikes, the UAE's defence ministry announced it would withdraw its remaining troops in Yemen after Riyadh imposed a 24-hour deadline for their removal.
What Analysts Say
Farea Al-Muslimi, a Gulf and Yemen researcher at Chatham House, called the deployment a "face-saving measure" offered previously to Riyadh and rejected. He warned that only a complete withdrawal and handover of Hadramawt and Mahra would likely open the door to de-escalation; otherwise, Saudi Arabia's "clear and direct security demands" would remain unmet.
The STC's December advance has revived discussion of a possible return to a separate South Yemen — a state that existed from 1967 to 1990 — and has complicated already stalled peace negotiations with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who continue to control large parts of northern Yemen after seizing the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
Implications: The announced redeployment may reduce immediate tensions for some audiences, but Saudi demands for a full STC withdrawal and continuing scrutiny by the Riyadh-led coalition suggest a fragile and uncertain path ahead for stability and peace talks in Yemen.
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