STC launches military operation in Abyan after seizing eastern provinces

ABYAN, Yemen -

Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) said on Monday it had launched a military operation in the southern province of Abyan, as the separatist group presses ahead with efforts to consolidate control across the south amid mounting tensions within the internationally-recognised government.

The operation is part of “continuing efforts to eradicate terrorism and enhance security and stability”, STC spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed al-Naqeeb said in a statement.

He said the campaign targets what the STC described as terrorist cells operating in Abyan, a province long viewed as a stronghold for extremist elements.

“This necessitates decisive action to fully secure it, cut off supply lines to terrorist elements, and prevent their regrouping,” Naqeeb said.

The spokesman added that the operation represents “the culmination of all the significant achievements made in the war on terror during previous phases” in southern Yemen.

In a separate statement, the STC said the operation, dubbed Al-Hasm (The Decisive), follows earlier security campaigns in the region and aims to counter what it described as coordinated movements between the Houthi group and al-Qaeda that threaten Abyan’s stability.

The STC urged local tribes and residents to support its forces, saying the operation was intended to protect civilians and reinforce security in southern Yemen.

The move comes days after the STC announced it had taken control of the eastern provinces of Hadhramaut and Mahra from other pro-government forces, effectively consolidating its authority over all southern provinces.

The group said the step followed what it described as the failure of pro-government factions and Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) to launch a serious military campaign to dislodge the Iran-aligned Houthis from their northern strongholds, including the capital Sana’a.

The STC is formally part of Yemen’s internationally-recognised government, a fragile alliance of factions united primarily by their opposition to the Houthis. However, its recent advances have heightened concerns about growing friction within the coalition and the risk of renewed southern secessionist ambitions.

At least 32 military personnel were killed and 45 wounded in recent clashes in Hadhramaut involving groups affiliated with the STC, Yemen’s state news agency Saba reported on Friday, citing the General Staff Command.

On Monday, STC President Aidarous al-Zubaidi praised the role of the Saudi- and Emirati-led Arab Coalition in supporting efforts against militant groups, saying the latest operation marked a step towards strengthening regional security and safeguarding international navigation routes.

Yemen, which lies between Saudi Arabia and a key Red Sea shipping lane, was divided into northern and southern states until unification in 1990. The STC says independence reflects the aspirations of southern Yemenis.

The country was plunged into civil war in 2014 after the Houthis seized Sana’a and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government to relocate to the southern port city of Aden. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in an effort to restore the government, but the conflict has since fractured into multiple frontlines.