The US and UK have welcomed efforts to de-escalate the conflict in Yemen, after the Southern Transitional Council said it has effectively taken control of all of the south of the country.
US ambassador Steven Fagin and British ambassador Abda Sharif made the comments during a meeting with Rashad Al Alimi, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council.
Mr Fagin and Mr Sharif said they discussed with Mr Al Alimi “the shared concerns regarding recent developments in Yemen”.
“We welcome all efforts towards de-escalation,” they wrote on X, adding that the US and the UK will continue to support the Yemeni government and the leadership council's work to strengthen the country's security and stability.
A Southern Transitional Council (STC) source told The National on Monday that forces loyal to the group moved to secure the entire southern region after what he described as the failure of other pro-government factions to launch a serious campaign to push the Houthi rebels from their northern strongholds, including Sanaa.
On the opposite side of the political divide, Mr Al Alimi said from Riyadh that there were “major disagreements” within the ruling body. His remarks came after STC-aligned forces seized oilfields in Hadhramaut and mobilised to take control of key areas in Al Mahra from pro-government troops.
“What is happening in Aden is an extension of the struggle of the people of southern Yemen, who have long demanded the restoration of their independent state,” the STC source said, referring to the former southern republic. The group has repeatedly signalled it intends to declare independence.
Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council, which wants to revive an independent state in southern Yemen, wave the old South Yemen flag at a rally in the port city of Aden on December 8, 2025.
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