{"id":488903,"date":"2026-01-03T07:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T07:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/488903\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T07:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T07:18:11","slug":"yemens-separatists-announce-a-constitution-for-independent-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/488903\/","title":{"rendered":"Yemen\u2019s separatists announce a constitution for independent south"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADEN, Yemen (AP) \u2014 Yemen<\/a> \u2018s separatist movement on Friday announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south and demanded other factions in the war-torn country accept the move in an escalation of a confrontation that has pitted Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia<\/a> and the United Arab Emirates<\/a> against each other.<\/p>\n

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council depicted the announcement as a declaration of independence for the south. But it was not immediately clear if the move could be implemented or was largely symbolic. Last month, STC-linked fighters seized control of two southern provinces from Saudi-backed forces and took over the Presidential Palace in the south\u2019s main city, Aden. Members of the internationally recognized government \u2014 which had been based in Aden \u2014 fled to the Saudi-capital Riyadh.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Saudi warplanes bombed camps and military positions held by the STC in Hadramout province as Saudi-backed fighters tried to seize the facilities, a separatist official said. It was the latest direct intervention by Saudi Arabia, which in recent weeks has bombed STC forces<\/a> and struck what is said was a shipment of Emirati weapons<\/a> destined for the separatists.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the UAE announced early Saturday it had completely withdrawn all its troops from Yemen, something it pledged to do after the confrontation. <\/p>\n

Ostensibly, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and their allies on the ground in Yemen have all been part of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who control the north in the country\u2019s decade-long civil war. The coalition\u2019s professed goal has long been to restore the internationally recognized government, which was driven out of the north by the Houthis. But tensions between the factions and the two Gulf nations appear to be unraveling the coalition, threatening to throw them into outright conflict and further tear apart the Arab world\u2019s poorest country.<\/p>\n

Southern separatists\u2019 declaration<\/p>\n

The head of the STC, Aidarous al-Zubaid<\/a>, issued a video statement Friday saying that the constitution his group issued would be in effect for two years, after which a referendum would be held on \u201cexercising the right to self-determination for the people of the South.\u201d During those two years, he said, the \u201crelevant parties\u201d in north and south Yemen should hold a dialogue on \u201ca path and mechanisms that guarantee the right of the people of the South.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that if the other factions don\u2019t agree to his call or if they take military action, \u201call options remain open.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 30-article \u201cconstitution\u201d proclaimed the creation of \u201cthe State of South Arabia,\u201d covering the same territory of the former People\u2019s Democratic Republic of Yemen, the independent southern state that existed from 1967-1990.<\/p>\n

It seemed to be the most overt move yet by the STC toward its long-proclaimed goal of independence. In the confusion that has reigned in the south in recent weeks, it was not clear what practical impact it would have. But the declaration could set back efforts to avert an outright conflict between the separatists and the rest of the Saudi-led coalition. <\/p>\n

The UAE\u2019s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that the country was dealing with the situation \u201cwith restraint, coordination, and a deliberate commitment to de-escalation, guided by a foreign policy that consistently prioritizes regional stability over impulsive action.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UAE Defense Ministry early Saturday said its withdrawal of troops from Yemen was complete. It provided no details on the number of soldiers and equipment moved, but there had been multiple Emirati military cargo flights heading in and out of Yemen in the last few days. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe UAE forces follows the implementation of a previously announced decision to conclude the remaining missions of counterterrorism units,\u201d a Defense Ministry statement said. \u201cThe process has been conducted in a manner that ensured the safety of all personnel and carried out in coordination with all relevant partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saudi warplanes strike as fighting continues in <\/p>\n

the south<\/p>\n

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of the STC-linked Southern Shield forces from the two governorates they seized, Hadramout and Mahra, as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.<\/p>\n

Saudi-backed fighters, known as the National Shield Forces, advanced on two STC-camps in Hadramout, said a senior STC official, Ahmed bin Breik, a former governor of the province. The separatist forces refused to withdraw and in response, Saudi planes struck the camps, he said.<\/p>\n

Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed forces, said the strikes caused fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn\u2019t independently verify that claim.<\/p>\n

He told the AP later Friday that \u201cintense clashes\u201d erupted between his forces and the National Shield forces across several areas of Hadramout.<\/p>\n

It was not clear if the Saudi-backed forces succeeded in retaking the camps. <\/p>\n

Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by Yemen\u2019s internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate, said the move to reclaim the camps was \u201cnot a declaration of war and is not seeking an escalation.\u201d He said it was a \u201cpre-emptive measure to remove weapons.\u201d <\/p>\n

Escalating tensions <\/p>\n

In a post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the kingdom had tried \u201call efforts with STC\u201d for weeks \u201cto stop the escalation\u201d and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra,<\/a> only to be faced with \u201ccontinued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi.\u201d <\/p>\n

Al-Jaber said the STC had not permitted a Saudi delegation\u2019s jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves \u201ceveryone and the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yemen\u2019s Transportation Ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia on Thursday imposed requirements mandating<\/a> that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.<\/p>\n

\u0650A spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Khaled reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ADEN, Yemen (AP) \u2014 Yemen \u2018s separatist movement on Friday announced a constitution for an independent nation in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":488904,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[220611,3881,364,57,220612,220613,50,271,64955,10317,64677,96,103,107,13193],"class_list":{"0":"post-488903","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-ahmed-bin-breik","9":"tag-ap-top-news","10":"tag-constitutional-law","11":"tag-general-news","12":"tag-mohamed-al-nakib","13":"tag-mohammed-al-jaber","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-saudi-arabia","16":"tag-saudi-arabia-government","17":"tag-united-arab-emirates","18":"tag-united-arab-emirates-government","19":"tag-war-and-unrest","20":"tag-world","21":"tag-world-news","22":"tag-yemen"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115829951936632437","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}