Aden: Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi has urged the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to immediately withdraw from the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, handing over military camps to government forces.

According to Anadolu Agency, Al-Alimi expressed support for the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, stating on the US social media platform X that the STC should "immediately respond to these efforts, withdraw from Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and hand over the camps to the Nation Shield Forces and local authorities." This plea aims to preserve the unity and national interest of Yemen.

The Nation Shield Forces, established in 2023 by Al-Alimi's decision, operate under his command as the supreme commander of Yemen's armed forces. The call for withdrawal comes in the wake of a 2019 agreement signed in Riyadh to manage infighting within Yemen's internationally recognized government. The agreement sought to integrate the STC into government structures, unify political and military decision-making, and transfer presidential powers to a newly formed presidential leadership council.

Since December 3, the STC forces have taken control of parts of Hadramout following clashes with the Hadramout Tribes Alliance and government-aligned First Military Region forces. The STC's control expanded to Mahra, previously under government authority, four days later. The STC claims that successive governments have politically and economically marginalized southern regions, a claim denied by Yemeni authorities, who emphasize the importance of the country's territorial unity.