Southern Yemeni separatists publish constitution and set out two-year path to referendum

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has published a 30-article constitution and said it will hold a referendum on independence after a two-year period, the council's leader Aidarous al Zoubeidi said in a video statement. Zoubeidi said the constitution would be in effect for two years, after which a vote would be held to decide on "exercising the right to self-determination for the people of the South" and that parties in north and south should hold a dialogue during that period on mechanisms to guarantee southern rights.

The document describes the creation of "the State of South Arabia," covering the same territory as the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. It is not clear whether the declaration can be implemented or is largely symbolic, but it marks an escalation in a confrontation that has strained the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels.

Last month STC-linked fighters seized control of two southern provinces and took the presidential palace in Aden, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate to Riyadh. On Friday, a separatist official said Saudi warplanes bombed STC camps and positions in Hadramout province as Saudi-backed forces tried to take the facilities.

Saudi Arabia has also said it struck a shipment of Emirati weapons bound for the separatists. The UAE announced it was pulling its troops out of Yemen shortly after the STC's statement.

Key Topics

World, Southern Transitional Council, Aidarous Al Zoubeidi, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Aden