Saudi Urges STC Withdrawal from Yemen's Hadramout, al-Mahra

Saudi Arabia has urged Yemen's Southern Transitional Council to withdraw its forces from the eastern provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra, warning that the separatist group's recent advances risk destabilizing the fragile coalition fighting Houthi rebels in the country's north. The call, issued by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday, came amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions that have strained alliances in the nearly decade-long civil war.

The Southern Transitional Council, a separatist faction seeking self-rule in southern Yemen, expanded its control into Hadramout and al-Mahra earlier this month. The moves followed clashes with government-aligned forces, including the Hadramout Tribes Alliance and the First Military Region, starting around December 3. STC fighters pushed out elements of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government from key positions, including camps now under separatist control. The group, which has flown the flag of the former independent South Yemen, claims successive governments have marginalized southern regions economically and politically, though Yemeni authorities deny this and emphasize national unity.