ADEN: Thousands rallied in support of Yemen’s southern separatists in the city of Aden on Saturday in a show of solidarity for the group, despite pro-Saudi officials prohibiting the gatherings.
The Southern Transitional Council faces an uncertain future with reports that its leader has fled the country, while a delegation it sent to Riyadh announced the dissolution of the group on Friday, though STC members elsewhere said it was done under duress.
The protests come amid a rapidly evolving situation. The UAE-backed STC made sweeping territorial gains in December only to be driven back this month by Saudi military power, exposing a rift between the Gulf allies.
The counter-offensive overseen by the Saudi-led coalition has seen the group lose swathes of territory, its forces targeted with air strikes and the future of its leadership structure brought into question.
But those who took to Aden’s streets on Saturday want the STC to continue to push for a separate state.
The crowd waved the flag of the former South Yemen, which was an independent state between 1967 and 1990, while 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 who spoke to AFP.
