Yemen Govt Recaptures Key Regions from Secessionists Amid Mass Protests

Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Saudi Arabia-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), said on Saturday that government forces had regained control over two key regions and re-established authority across southern Yemen.

"As the president of the country and the high commander of the armed forces, I want to assure you of the recapture of Hadramout and al-Mahra," he said.

Al-Alimi said the government has called former STC members to Riyadh for talks on Yemen's future, adding that military forces in the country will now operate under the command of the Saudi-led coalition.

Al Jazeera reported that the statement followed a Saudi-backed offensive that expelled the STC from the provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra, areas the group had seized towards the end of last year. The two provinces border Saudi Arabia and together make up nearly half of Yemen's territory.

According to Al Jazeera, the confrontations have also underscored growing friction between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with Saudi authorities accusing the UAE of supporting the STC.

Al-Alimi's comments came as large crowds assembled in Aden, an STC stronghold, amid conflicting reports over whether the group would be disbanded. Protesters in the Khor Maksar district chanted against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government and waved the flag of former South Yemen, which existed as an independent state between 1967 and 1990.

"Today, the people of the south gathered from all provinces in the capital, Aden, to reiterate what they have been saying consistently for years and throughout the last month: We want an independent state," a protester told a news agency.

Some demonstrators held photos of STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who has fled the country, while others shouted, "Southerner, raise your voice, independence or death," Al Jazeera reported.

The protests took place despite Saudi-backed groups urging people on Friday not to demonstrate.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE earlier worked together within a coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's civil war, but ties have strained as the STC stepped up its push for secession.

After weeks of Saudi-led attempts to de-escalate, Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia launched an operation against the STC, forcing it out of Hadramout, the presidential palace in Aden, and military camps in al-Mahra, Al Jazeera reported.

An STC delegation travelled to Riyadh earlier this week for talks, though Zubaidi did not take part. The Saudi-led coalition accused the UAE of facilitating his escape on a flight tracked to a military airport in Abu Dhabi.

On Friday, the STC delegation in Riyadh announced the dissolution of the group. Secretary-General Abdulrahman Jalal al-Sebaihi said the STC would shut down its bodies and offices inside and outside Yemen, citing internal disagreements and growing regional pressure.

However, the STC later said it held an "extraordinary meeting" after the announcement and declared it "null and void", saying the decision had been made "under coercion and pressure". It renewed calls for mass protests in southern cities and warned against attempts targeting the group's "peaceful activities", Al Jazeera reported.

The Yemeni government's armed forces said on Saturday that it would "strike firmly and decisively against anyone who seeks to tamper with security or disrupt public order", without referencing the demonstrations.

Separately, Al Jazeera reported that al-Alimi also issued a warning to the Houthis, who control northern Yemen, saying they can "negotiate a settlement with us... or you will face repercussions, including the potential for a military action".

The Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and claim to be the only legitimate authority across Yemen. The group does not recognise the Presidential Leadership Council.

- ANI