Yemen separatists defy pullout calls, tighten grip on Hadramout

Yemen's main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), is defying local and international pressure to withdraw its forces from the strategic, oil-rich provinces of Hadramout and Mahra. Nearly three weeks after seizing control of the eastern regions, STC officials have hardened their rhetoric, framing their military deployment as a stabilizing mission and rejecting accusations of creating a parallel authority that undermines Yemen's fragile, internationally-recognized government.

A Claimed Stabilization Amid Allegations of Abuses

In a video meeting with UN envoy Hans Grundberg’s office on Sunday, STC National Assembly head Ali al-Kathiri asserted that "normal stability" has returned to Hadramout since December 3. He claimed a ban on weapons in cities has improved commerce and denied allegations of killings or abductions, stating northern residents face no harassment. However, these claims are starkly contradicted by the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms, which documented over 312 cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance in the province between December 2 and 18, allegedly carried out by STC members.

Military Standoff and Political Repercussions

The STC's military advance, which began with clashes against the government-aligned First Military Region and local tribes on December 3, has resulted in significant casualties. The Yemeni army has published the names of 30 soldiers killed, including senior officers, and states that some of their bodies remain in STC custody. The political fallout is intensifying, with the government-aligned Al-Islah party accusing the STC of deliberately undermining the Riyadh Agreement and risking that Houthi rebels will exploit the internal divisions to prolong Yemen's devastating civil war.

Regional Diplomacy and a Deepening Crisis

The standoff presents a major challenge for regional power brokers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who lead the anti-Houthi coalition. A joint Saudi-Emirati delegation visited Aden for talks last week, following the STC's disregard of earlier Saudi withdrawal calls, but no breakthrough has been announced. As the STC consolidates control over nearly half of Yemen's landmass and key oil infrastructure, the crisis threatens to fragment the country further, complicating peace efforts and exacerbating what the UN calls one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.