The rise of the Houthis in Yemen in 2014 led to the creation of a number of cross-factional alliances to counter the Iran-backed rebels. One of them, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), became part of the internationally recognised government seeking to regain control over the whole country.
But the STC itself comprises groups that seek to re-establish the separate southern state that existed before unification with northern Yemen in 1990.
What is the STC?
Southern forces trained by the UAE played a decisive role in preventing the Houthis from extending their control into Yemen's south between 2015 and 2018. This enabled the government, which fled the capital, Sanaa, in 2015, to establish itself in Aden with support from the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis.
The STC, formed in 2017 and headed by Aidarous Al Zubaidi, emerged as the
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