Southern Yemeni Separatists Publish Constitution and Plan Independence Referendum

Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) has published a 30-article constitution creating a "State of South Arabia" and said it will hold a referendum on independence after a two-year period. The STC leader, Aidarous al Zoubeidi, said the constitution would be in effect for two years, during which time parties in north and south Yemen should hold talks, before a vote on "exercising the right to self-determination for the people of the South." The proposed state would cover the territory of the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967–1990).

It was not immediately clear whether the move is practical or largely symbolic, but officials warned it escalates tensions within the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels. Last month STC-linked fighters seized two southern provinces and took the presidential palace in Aden, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate to Riyadh.

Saudi warplanes have since bombed camps and military positions held by the STC in Hadramout, and Saudi forces said they struck a shipment of Emirati weapons bound for separatists.

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Sports, United States, World, Yemen, Separatists, Stc, Saudi Arabia