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Arabia

Yemeni politicians meet in Riyadh after dissolution of UAE-backed separatist group

2026-01-19

[IsraelTimes] Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who led now-defunct Southern Transitional Council, does not attend but sends delegation; Saudi officials give assurances that STC officers will still get paid

Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
i politicians met Sunday in Saudi Arabia

...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
’s capital in their first public gathering since a southern separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates was disbanded following weeks of festivities

The meeting in Riyadh discussed the future of southern Yemen ahead of a Saudi-sponsored conference, the dates of which haven’t been announced yet.

The separatist demands in southern Yemen are one element in a complex civil war that has gripped the county since 2014, when Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
rebels backed by Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
descended from their northern stronghold and seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee first southward, then into exile in Saudi Arabia. The war involves a complex interplay of sectarian and tribal grievances and the involvement of regional powers.

Al Qaeda is in there, too, intermarrying with the tribes and embedding themselves like ticks on a dog.

"This meeting expresses a unified southern will, represented by southern leaders from all segments of society and governorates, seeking a just, secure and guaranteed solution to our cause," the politicians said in a statement following their meeting.

Saudi Arabia had bombed the positions of the now-dissolved Southern Transitional Council after the separatist group refused to withdraw from areas it seized in its December offensive, including Hadramout
...the formerly independent Qu'aiti state and sultanate, annexed by Communist South Yemen in 1968, encompassing a region along the Gulf of Aden, extending eastwards to the borders of the Dhofar region of Oman. The people are called Hadhramis and speak Hadhrami Arabic. The city Tarimis is estimated to contain the highest concentration of descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (PTUI) anywhere in the world, approximately seven in every square yard...
on the border with Saudi Arabia. Government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, have regained control of Hadramout and Mahra provinces.

The escalation exposed cracks within a Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen’s civil war. Ties also frayed between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who led the STC, had reportedly declined to attend the talks in Riyadh and instead sent a delegation. Saudi Arabia has accused the UAE of smuggling him to Abu Dhabi through Somalia, after the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council expelled him and charged him with treason.

Sunday’s meeting included members of the STC leadership who have been in Riyadh for about two weeks. Their participation was apparently meant to refute claims by al-Zubaidi supporters that the delegation was kidnapped in Saudi Arabia.

"There is no doubt that today’s moment is historic, and we are at a juncture that requires everyone’s cooperation," said Abdel-Rauf al-Saqaf, who was a senior STC official. "The southern demand is clear: the restoration of the southern state."

The STC was established in April 2017 as an umbrella organization for groups that seek to restore South Yemen as an independent state as it was between 1967 and 1990. It gained financial and military support from the UAE. The STC leadership dissolved the council earlier this month.

A statement from Sunday’s meeting said the participants received "direct and practical assurances" from Saudi officials that members of forces allied with the STC will receive their salaries and "support to enhance their capabilities."

Posted by:trailing wife

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