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.
