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Separatists announce self-rule in South Yemen The STC deployed its forces in Aden on Sunday, the southern port which is currently the government's interim seat since it was ousted from the capital, Sanaa, by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Yemen's main southern separatist group announced, early on Sunday, that it would establish self-rule in areas under its control. The Saudi-backed government has, however, warned the move would have "catastrophic consequences". The bid for self-rule threatens to renew conflict between the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the Saudi-backed government, which have been nominal allies in Yemen's five-year old conflict. It comes even as the United Nations is trying to secure a nationwide truce in efforts to curb any further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The STC deployed its forces in Aden on Sunday, the southern port which is currently the government's interim seat since it was ousted from the capital, Sanaa, by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Reuters journalists reported seeing STC fighters in a column of pickup trucks and military vehicles riding down a main street in Aden. The STC is one of the main groups fighting against the Houthis as part of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. The separatists, long backed by Saudi coalition partner the UAE, have clashed with government forces in the past.