RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, the main backer of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said on Thursday that Yemeni separatists should return territory seized recently, adding that it seeks to deescalate tensions within the government camp.

The separatist Southern Transitional Council is part of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, a patchwork of groups held together by their opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis, which rule much of the country’s north.

This month, the UAE-backed STC, which seeks to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen, swept through swathes of the country, expelling other government forces and their allies in a move that sparked fears of secession and further instability.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia points out that the military movements in the governorates of (Hadramawt and Al-Mahra), recently conducted by the Southern Transitional Council, were carried out unilaterally, and without the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) nor in coordination with the Coalition’s leadership,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.

“These movements resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people with all of its segments,” it added.

“The Kingdom remains hopeful that the public interest will prevail through ending the escalation by the Southern Transitional Council and the withdrawal of its forces from the two governorate in an urgent and orderly manner,” it added.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2025