Saudi, US urge Yemen's STC to end standoff in south

Saudi and US officials urge Yemen's Southern Transitional Council to end rift with government, focus on battling coronavirus and peace talks with Huthi rebels.

WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia's cabinet has urged Yemen's main separatist group, which has declared self-rule in the south, to abide by an agreement to end a previous standoff with the Saudi-backed government.

Meanwhile officials from Saudi ally the United States said Washington was 'concerned' over the declaration by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), warning such actions threatened efforts to revive talks between the Yemeni government and Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

The declaration by the STC on Sunday, which included emergency rule in southern regions, threatens to renew conflict with the internationally recognised government. They are both part of a military alliance formed by Saudi Arabia to battle Yemen's the Huthi movement, which ousted the government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

Yemen has been mired in violence that has killed more than 100,000 since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 on the side of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government. There has been military stalemate for years and the Huthis hold most big urban centres.

Yemen's government warned of "catastrophic consequences" after the STC declared emergency rule in southern governorates including Aden, the interim seat of the government that was ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by the Huthis in late 2014.

The STC, which is backed by Riyadh's main coalition partner the United Arab Emirates, has long sought self-rule in the south and accuses Hadi's government of mismanagement and corruption, a charge it denies.

"Any step that is contrary to the Riyadh agreement should be cancelled," the Saudi cabinet said in a statement issued late on Tuesday, referring to a power-sharing deal agreed in November. On Monday, the coalition had urged the STC to rescind its move, saying it was an "escalatory action" at a time when all parties should focus on confronting the novel coronavirus.

Those comments were echoed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

"Such unilateral actions only exacerbate instability in Yemen," Pompeo said in a statement. "They are especially unhelpful at a time when the country is threatened by COVID-19 and also threaten to complicate the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to revive political negotiations between the government and the Huthi rebels."

The Saudi-led coalition has announced an extension to a unilateral truce prompted by a United Nations plea to focus on the coronavirus pandemic. The Huthis have not accepted it and violence has continued.

Saudi Arabia's cabinet lauded the coalition for extending the nationwide ceasefire by one month due to the coronavirus, which Riyadh said would also help alleviate the suffering of Yemenis during the holy month of Ramadan.

The US also welcomed the coalition ceasefire announcement, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported on Wednesday, citing US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker.

While Yemen has reported only one confirmed COVID-19 case, aid groups fear a catastrophe if it spreads among a malnourished population in a country with a shattered health system.

The United Nations is trying to convene virtual talks on the truce, coordinated coronavirus efforts and confidence-building steps to restart talks to end the war.