Yemeni southern separatists in Riyadh announce disputed disbanding of STC
Al Jazeera
The STC, which Saudi Arabia says is backed by the UAE, launched an offensive against Yemeni gov’t troops in December.
Yemen’s main southern separatists have decided to disband following talks in Saudi Arabia, the secretary-general of the organisation has said, although the announcement was dismissed by its spokesman, who called it “ridiculous”.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) Secretary-General Abdulrahman Jalal al-Subaihi said in a broadcast on Yemeni television on Friday that the dissolution of the group was taken to preserve peace and security in the south and in neighbouring countries.
He praised “the measures taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the solutions it has provided that meet the needs of the people of the South”.
However, STC spokesman Anwar al-Tamimi, who is in Abu Dhabi, rejected the announcement coming out of Saudi Arabia.
“This news is ridiculous,” he told the AFP news agency, confirming he remained out of contact with the delegation in Riyadh, indicating a split was emerging within the group.
