Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council Rejects UAE Withdrawal Deadline

Baabda: Yemen: Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) rejected a deadline set by the Presidential Leadership Council for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to withdraw forces, amid escalating tensions in the country. Presidential council chairman Rashad al-Alimi cancelled a joint defense pact with the UAE and gave a 24-hour deadline for the UAE forces to exit. He also declared a state of emergency for 90 days, along with a 72-hour air and land ban on all ports and border crossings. According to National news agency - Lebanon, the move followed a Saudi-led coalition's "limited" airstrike targeting two UAE-linked ships at Yemen's Mukalla port. A statement by the STC and four presidential council members rejected "any unilateral decisions that plunge Yemen into new confrontations, target its regional allies, or undermine the foundations of the Arab coalition." The statement criticized the presidential council chief's actions as "a clear violation" of the power transfer declaration, asserting that no individua l or entity, including the council, can terminate any party's coalition membership. It emphasized that the UAE remains a crucial partner against the Houthi movement. Yemen has experienced relative calm since an April 2022 truce halted hostilities between government forces and the Houthi group, which began in September 2014 when the Iran-aligned Houthis seized Sanaa. However, tensions have risen after the STC seized Hadramaut and Al-Mahra this month following clashes with government forces. The STC claims that successive governments have marginalized southern regions politically and economically, advocating for their separation from the north. Yemeni authorities reject these claims, emphasizing the importance of the country's territorial unity.