Yemeni separatist group claims broad control of south

STC says Aden, the base of the Saudi-backed and internationally-recognised government, also under their control.Published On 8 Dec 2025Yemen’s main southern separatist group has claimed broad control of the southern part of the country, marking a major shift in power for the area.Amr al-Bidh, a senior official of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), told the Reuters news agency on Monday that the group had extended its presence in all southern provinces – including the port of Aden, the base of the internationally-recognised government over the past decade – following a military operation codenamed “Promising Future” launched last week.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Yemen’s Houthis detain 20 UN staff in latest raidlist 2 of 3Yemen’s Houthis say arrested UN staff will be tried over Israeli linkslist 3 of 3Yemen’s Houthis appear to pull back from Red Sea shipping attacksend of listThe eight southern governorates “are under the protection of the Southern Armed Forces”, al-Bidh said by text message.“We are concentrating on unifying the operational theatre of our armed forces to enhance coordination and readiness to reinforce stability and security in the south, as well as combatting the Houthis should there be a willingness to head in this direction.”The STC’s advance marks a major shift in control in southern Yemen. The group seeks greater autonomy for the south, which was an independent state until unification with the north in 1990.The STC said senior figures from other groups had left Aden, including the head of the eight-member body that acts in place of a president, and the prime minister.The STC, which has been backed in the past by the United Arab Emirates during Yemen’s decade-old civil war, has clashed with other groups in the Saudi-backed government, which relocated to Aden after the Iran-aligned Houthis captured the capital Sanaa in 2014.Since 2022, the STC has served in an administration that controls southern areas outside the grip of the Houthis, under a Saudi-backed power-sharing initiative.