Yemen’s Presidential Council places all southern military forces under Saudi coalition command after separatist offensive fails
ADEN: The head of Yemen’s Presidential Council announced on Saturday that all military forces in southern Yemen will now operate under the command of the Saudi-led coalition.
Council leader Rashad Al-Alimi made the declaration in a televised address following a failed offensive by separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates.
“I announce the formation of a Supreme Military Committee under the command of the coalition forces,” Al-Alimi said.
He stated the new committee would be responsible for training, equipping, and directing all military forces and formations in the south.
The announcement comes days after Saudi-backed Yemeni forces recaptured large swathes of territory from UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council separatists.
The STC had seized two key provinces in December.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE form the backbone of the coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Houthis overran the capital Sanaa in 2014 and still control much of the country.
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi now back competing factions within the internationally recognised Presidential Council.
The separatist STC faces an uncertain future with reports its leader has fled the country.
A delegation it sent to Riyadh announced the group’s dissolution on Friday, though other STC members said that was done under duress.
Thousands rallied in support of the separatists in the city of Aden on Saturday despite a prohibition on gatherings.
The crowd waved the flag of former South Yemen, which was independent between 1967 and 1990.
Others displayed portraits of STC president Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.
“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,” protester Yacoub Al-Safyani told AFP.
Some chanted anti-Saudi slogans during the demonstrations.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government is headquartered in Aden, even as the city remains an STC stronghold.
