Web Desk (MNN); Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government announced on Saturday that it has regained control of Mukalla, the strategic eastern port city and capital of Hadramout province, from southern separatist forces who had seized it last month.
The latest advances by government forces since Friday have rolled back many of the territorial gains made by the Southern Transitional Council and have cast uncertainty over the group’s plan to hold a referendum on southern independence within the next two years.
Saudi-backed troops had earlier taken control of several key sites across Hadramout, a vast province stretching along the Saudi border and deep into desert areas.
Residents said STC forces responded by blocking major roads linking northern provinces to Aden. The separatist group appealed to regional and international leaders to intervene, describing the situation as a “Saudi-backed military escalation.”
In a statement, the STC alleged that northern religious factions, an apparent reference to the Islah party which is part of the internationally recognised government, had targeted civilians and critical infrastructure.
The United Arab Emirates expressed deep concern over the escalating situation and urged all sides to exercise restraint.
Yemen, divided for nearly a decade by conflict, occupies a strategically vital position between Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, and the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key maritime route linking Europe and Asia.
The STC has long been a component of the internationally recognised government that administers southern and eastern Yemen and has received backing from Gulf states in the fight against the Houthis.
Overnight, Presidential Council head Rashad al-Alimi said he had requested Saudi Arabia to host a dialogue forum aimed at resolving the southern issue, expressing hope that it would bring together all southern factions.
Meanwhile, Aden airport, the main gateway for areas outside Houthi control, has remained closed since Thursday following a dispute over new flight restrictions imposed by the government on UAE-linked routes.
The STC and Saudi Arabia have traded blame over the suspension of air traffic. In its statement on Saturday, the STC claimed that southern Yemen was facing a land, sea and air blockade.
The current crisis began early last month when the STC unexpectedly seized large areas, including Hadramout, asserting control over territory that once formed the former state of South Yemen before unification with the north in 1990.
Following the move, the leadership of the internationally recognised government, including ministers affiliated with the STC and previously based in Aden, relocated to Saudi Arabia, which viewed the southern takeover as a threat to its security.
