Government forces enter Aden as STC loses ground in southern Yemen

# Government forces enter Aden as STC loses ground in southern Yemen

Event date: 2026-01-08

Yemeni government-aligned forces have entered Aden in a move that underscores how quickly the balance of power is shifting in the south.

According to the supplied evidence from TRT World via AA, units of the National Shield Forces advanced into the city from neighbouring Abyan as part of a phased security plan. Waddah al-Dubaish, a spokesperson for the government-aligned Joint Forces on the western coast, said the first contingents reached the Al Alam area, which sits on the eastern approach to Aden. He said more brigades would follow in an organised, gradual deployment intended to secure the city and prevent disorder. The emphasis on a step-by-step rollout suggests the authorities want the city to remain functional while fresh forces move in.

The entry into Aden follows a series of setbacks for the separatist Southern Transitional Council, or STC. The evidence says government forces recently recaptured Hadramout and Al Mahra, reducing the territory under STC influence. Yemeni officials said the council’s effective presence has now been narrowed to Aden, Al Dhale and the island of Socotra. That contraction matters because the STC has tried to present itself as the main political and military force in the south, and every territorial loss weakens that claim.

The latest movement also reflects a wider Saudi-led effort to contain the crisis inside the anti-Houthi camp. Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber said he met an STC delegation in Riyadh to discuss recent developments and what he described as the need to restore cohesion among anti-Houthi forces. The talks also touched on preparations for a broader dialogue on southern Yemen, including a conference expected in the Saudi capital.

Tensions escalated further after the Saudi-led coalition said STC leader Aidarous al Zubaidi had failed to travel to Riyadh for talks and instead mobilised forces towards Al-Dhale. Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al Maliki later said Zubaidi had fled Aden by sea before leaving the region by air. The STC rejected that account and said its leader remained active from the city.

The dispute then spilled into formal politics. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council said it had stripped Zubaidi of his membership and referred him to the public prosecutor on charges of high treason. The STC has not offered a detailed public rebuttal beyond rejecting the allegations and insisting its leader is still operating from Aden.

The evidence also places the latest developments in a broader regional context. Last week, Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates of pushing STC forces to carry out military operations along the kingdom’s southern border in Hadramout and Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.

For residents of Aden, the significance is immediate. Government-aligned forces are entering the city under a stated plan to stabilise it, while rival factions remain locked in a political and military struggle over who speaks for southern Yemen. Even if the deployment is described as phased and orderly, it marks another severe test for the anti-Houthi alliance and for any hope of a stable southern settlement. The question now is whether the Saudi-backed push can translate into security on the ground before the dispute hardens into another protracted confrontation.