Southern Transitional Council Seizes Yemen’s South as Independence Pressure Builds

# Southern Transitional Council Seizes Yemen’s South as Independence Pressure Builds

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council has seized control of all eight southern governorates in Yemen, according to the supplied evidence, creating the strongest opening in years for a renewed push toward southern independence.

The date for the report is 2025-12-08. The evidence says STC troops poured into Hadramaut and al-Mahra and then expanded control across the south, marking the first time the group has held the entire set of governorates that once made up South Yemen.

That is more than a battlefield gain. The seizure of the south shifts the political balance inside Yemen and puts the STC in a position to argue that the country should once again be divided into two states, as it was before unification in 1990. The evidence says a full declaration of statehood would be risky, but that the movement may instead seek a future referendum on independence.

Saudi Arabia has taken a major hit from the shift. The supplied report says Riyadh withdrew its troops from the presidential palace in Aden and from the airport, a retreat that suggests the Saudi-backed forces inside the internationally recognized government were routed for now. That reversal matters because Saudi Arabia had been the lead external power in Yemen, while the UAE has supported the STC.

The evidence describes an uneasy alliance that had held together in the south after the Houthis captured Sana’a in 2015. The Saudi-backed Islah camp and the UAE-backed STC shared a presidential leadership council, but the STC’s superior military position appears to have broken the balance. Yemen’s president, Rashad al-Alimi, has already called for the group to return to barracks and rejected unilateral measures.

The strategic stakes go beyond local control. The southern provinces sit near vital sea routes and border areas, and the evidence notes that the STC’s next move could affect how the South is policed and how regional alliances line up.

There are still questions about what comes next. The evidence says Taiz and Marib are outside the Houthi-controlled zone and may be offered protectorate status to keep them out of Houthi hands. It also says the STC’s future will depend heavily on decisions taken in Abu Dhabi.

Even so, the immediate picture is unmistakable. The STC has achieved a territorial breakthrough that could reshape the war, alter the regional balance between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and reopen the possibility of an eventual southern state in Yemen.