Saudi Arabia, the chief backer of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said Thursday that separatist forces must return recently seized territory as it seeks to de-escalate tensions within the government camp.
The separatist Southern Transitional Council is part of Yemen's internationally recognized government, a patchwork of groups held together by their opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis, which rule much of the country's north.
This month, the UAE-backed STC, which seeks to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen, swept through swathes of the country, expelling other government forces and their allies in a move that sparked fears of secession and further instability.
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia points out that the military movements in the governorates of (Hadramawt and al-Mahra), recently conducted by the Southern Transitional Council, were carried out unilaterally, and without the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) nor in coordination with the Coalition's leadership," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"These movements resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people with all of its segments," it added.
"The Kingdom remains hopeful that the public interest will prevail through ending the escalation by the Southern Transitional Council and the withdrawal of its forces from the two governorates in an urgent and orderly manner," it added.
A Saudi-Emirati military delegation visited Aden for talks earlier this month to ask the STC to return the two provinces it recently seized, the statement said, adding that Saudi efforts for de-escalation were ongoing.
A source close to the STC had told AFP at the time that the delegation asked them to withdraw from the newly seized territory, but that the group refused.
Yemen's government and the eight-member PLC that heads it are split between figures backed by the kingdom and the separatists and their allies, who are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The 11-year war in Yemen has pitted the Iran-backed rebels against the internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE.
