Yemeni separatists take control of certain areas from the Saudi-backed government after a long lull

DUBAI, December 8 - A group of separatists in the south Yemen claims to have seized vast territory from the internationally recognized government. This includes some oil fields. The new instability comes years after the majority of fighting in Yemen's civil conflict subsided.

Last week, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by United Arab Emirates, took control of the eastern province Hadramout. Witnesses report that Saudi-backed forces withdrew from the oil rich province in a surprise move.

This move could further fragment the country, where a civil conflict reached a standstill in 2022. The relative calm in recent years raised hopes for peace between the Houthi Movement, which controls the majority of the population in the north, and the internationally recognised Saudi-backed government in the south.

According to a website statement, the head of the STC Aidarous al-Zubaidi held a meeting on Saturday at the port of Aden in which he praised "the victories" and "gains" made in Hadramout province and al-Mahra.

Requests for comments from the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, who were once part of the same coalition to fight the Houthis, but then diverged in support of rival factions, went unanswered.

The STC has not responded to requests for more details on its advance. This includes which territories it controls now, whether or not it encountered resistance from Saudi-backed group, and whether the UAE approved its advance.

STC separatists were originally part of a Sunni Muslim Saudi alliance which intervened against the Houthis in Yemen in 2015. The STC, however, turned against the government in order to gain self-rule over the southern region of Yemen. This included the port city Aden which is where the Saudi-backed administration has its headquarters.

Northern and Southern Yemen were split into two separate states between 1967-1990. (Written by Nayera Aboudallah and Michael Georgy, edited by Peter Graff).

(source: Reuters)