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A Yemeni separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), declared self-government in the war-torn southern country on Sunday.
Long-standing aspirations for autonomy in southern Yemen erupted into a deadly conflict between United Arab EmiratesThey backed separatists and pro-government forces in 2017-18 and again in August last year, complicating Yemen’s broader war.
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The internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has condemned the measure, saying its result will be “catastrophic and dangerous”.
All this while a coalition between Saudi Arabia and the UAE fights against the Houthi rebels in a separate conflict.
Here is a summary of the tensions in the south:
Independence, unification
South Yemen was an independent country from the 1967 British withdrawal, after which it became a Soviet-backed communist single-party state, until it joined the north in 1990.
An attempt to separate again in 1994 triggered a short-lived civil war that ended with the invasion of the northern troops.
2015: the government moves to Aden
The Houthi rebels completed their takeover of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in early 2015, forcing President Hadi’s government to move to the second city, Aden, in the south.
Saudi Arabia creates a military coalition to shore up Hadi’s forces.
Aden is declared the de facto capital of Yemen.
2017: launch of the southern ‘authority’
In April 2017, Hadi fired Aden Governor Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who had a history of favoring autonomy for the previously independent south.
Thousands of residents of Aden demonstrate.
In an open challenge to Hadi, Zubaidi in May launches a self-proclaimed parallel authority to administer the southern provinces, the STC.
2018: siege of the palace of Aden
In January 2018, a separatist force dominated by STC supporters seizes almost all of Aden and surrounds the presidential palace.
That causes three days of fighting in which 38 people die.
The group, called Seat Belt Forces, is backed by the UAE, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that aids Hadi against the Houthi rebellion.
After the coalition mediates, the separatists lift the siege of Aden.
2019: clashes break out
New clashes occur between the Seat Belt and pro-government forces in Aden in August 2019.
Separatists are gaining ground across the city, saying they have seized the presidential palace.
Four days of fighting leave 40 dead and 260 wounded, according to the United Nations.
Hadi’s government accuses the UAE of backing a “coup”. Abu Dhabi denies the charge.
STC supporters leave some public buildings in Aden, but maintain military posts after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates send a delegation.
Separatists in control
Hadi’s forces enter Aden in late August and announce that they are in “total control”, including the presidential palace, but are forced to withdraw the next day when separatists retake the city.
Yemen’s government accuses the United Arab Emirates of launching air strikes against its troops in support of separatist fighters, reportedly leaving dozens dead.
The UAE confirms the attacks, but says it had targeted “terrorist militias” in self-defense.
Saudi warning, talks
In September, Saudi Arabia demands that separatists return the captured military and civilian facilities, warning that otherwise they will be “treated firmly.”
The kingdom calls for dialogue but insists that “there is no alternative to legitimate government.”
The Yemeni government publicly rules out the talks at first, but on October 7 it appears that the two sides are holding indirect negotiations under Saudi mediation.
Unravel deals
On October 14, the UAE hands key positions in Aden, including an air base and the international airport, to Saudi forces in a bid to calm tensions between the separatists and the government.
On October 25, sources on both sides announce that they have reached an agreement to share power.
The deal was signed in Riyadh on November 5, reportedly handing over to the STC various government ministries and allowing the government to return to Aden.
But that agreement quickly falls apart, as the deadlines to form a new cabinet with equal representation for southerners and the reorganization of the military forces pass without implementation.
At the beginning of April 26, 2020, the STC declares self-government for the south, with retroactive effect as of midnight.
“An autonomous committee will begin its work according to a list of tasks assigned by the council presidency,” he says.
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