Territory of the Southern Transitional Council

Southern Transitional Council Arabic: المجلس الانتقالي الجنوبي
Flag Seal
Southern Transitional Council and Hadhrami Elite Forces
Status	Self-governing Quasi-state (2020–2022, 2025–present)
Capital	Aden
Government
• Chairman	Aidarus al-Zoubaidi
• Vice-chairman	Hani Bin Breik
Establishment	Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
History
• Declared self-governance	26 April 2020 [1]
•  2025 Hadhramaut offensive	2 December 2025 – present
Currency	Yemeni rial (YER)

The Territory of the Southern Transitional Council refers to territory in Yemen under the de facto control of the Southern Transitional Council during the Yemeni Civil War. The STC exercises control over the city of Aden, which also serves as it's capital, and most of the territory of the former South Yemen, which existed as an independent state between 1967 and 1990. ^[2] The STC wants to establish a new state under the name "State of South Arabia." ^[3]

History

See also: South Yemen

British rule

In 1914, following the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, the United Kingdom and Ottoman Empire divided Arabian Peninsula into two parts: the northwest under Ottoman control and influence, and the southeast under British control and influence. ^[4] The UK established the Aden Colony in 1937 and a Federation of the Emirates of South Arabia in 1959 which evolved into a western Federation of South Arabia alongside an eastern Protectorate of South Arabia in 1963.

Independent South Yemen

Yemen prior to unification in 1990

Following an armed rebellion, British forces withdrew from southern Yemen in November 1967, resulting in the independence of the People's Republic of Southern Yemen which later became the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in 1970.

Unification

The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and the neighbouring Yemen Arab Republic united in May 1990 as the Republic of Yemen. Southern separatists proclaimed a Democratic Republic of Yemen in May 1994, however the attempted succession was defeated in July that year.

The Southern Movement and its offshoots have their roots in protests and sit-ins organised by military and civil officials in many of the southern and eastern governorates ^[5] , especially those who had been a member of the South Yemeni Armed Forces, who had been forced into an early retirement in 2007 demanding higher pensions. ^[6] From these protests, came other grievances against the incumbent government of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Civil war

Territorial control during the Yemeni Civil War. Territory controlled by the STC and allies shown in yellow and orange.

In September 2014, the Houthi movement took control of Sanaa leading to the Yemeni Civil War prompting Yemen's internationally recognised government to move to Aden, the capital of the former South Yemen.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) was established on 11 May 2017 and has called for re-establishment of South Yemen as an independent state under the name "State of South Arabia". ^{[7] [3] [3] [8]} The STC took control of Aden in January 2018 and allied with the Yemeni government the following year.The STC declared self-governance on 26 April 2020. ^[9] A power-sharing Presidential Leadership Council was established in 2022 with the STC allocated three out of the eight seats, and STC leader Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, holding the vice-chairmanship. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

December 2025 offensive and aftermath

In September 2025, the STC called for a "two-state solution" to ending the Yemeni civil war. ^[14] Three months later, on 2 December 2025, the STC launched an offensive across southern Yemen rapidly capturing most of the territory of the former South Yemen by 8 December. ^{[15] [16]} In the immediate aftermath, Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi and Yemani prime minister Salem Saleh bin Braik left Aden for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ^[17]

Following the offensive, rallies and sit-ins were held in Aden and other cities demanding the re-establishment of an independent state in South Yemen. ^{[18] [19]} By 21 December several ministers in the Yemeni cabinet had issued statements supporting southern independence and STC leader Aidarus al-Zoubaidi had declared that the "next stage will be the stage of building institutions of the future state of South Arabia". ^{[20] [21] [22]} In response PLC chair Rashad al-Alimi, still in Riyadh, stated that these ministers had "exceeded their functional responsibilities" and ordered legal action against "violations undermining state authority". ^[23] Subsequently the five non-STC members of the Presidential Leadership Council resolved to suspend any public official who supported southern succession. ^[24]

Territorial control

As of 8 December 2025, the STC controlls most of the territory of the former South Yemen, i.e. present day governorates of Aden, Lahij, Dhale (part), Abyan, Shabwah, Hadhramaut, Al Mahrah and Socotra. ^{[25] [15]}

List of governorates wholly or partially controlled by the STC

Name in English	Name in Arabic	Capital	Area (km2) [26]	Population (2013) [27]	Population Density
Abyan	أبين	Zinjibar	21,939	658,824	30.0
Aden	عدن	Aden	1,114	1,087,653	976.3
Al Mahrah	المهرة	Al Ghaydah	122,500	400,000	3.2
Dhale	الضالع	Dhale	4,786	602,613	125.9
Hadramaut	حضرموت	Mukalla	191,737	1,329,085	6.9
Lahij	لحج	Lahij	15,210	926,291	60.5
Shabwah	شبوة	Ataq	47,728	651,509	13.6
Socotra	محافظة أرخبيل سقطرى	Hadibu	2359	60,000	25.4

Government and politics

Presidency

A Presidential Commission for the Southern Transitional Council was announced in May 2017 and as of May 2023 has 26 members with Aidarus al-Zoubaidi serving as chair and Hani Bin Breik as vice-chair. ^{[28] [29] [30]}

National Assembly

The National Assembly is a deliberative body of the STC consisting of 303 members representing the districts and governorates of southern Yemen. Its speaker is Ali Al-Kathiri, who is also a member of the STC presidency. ^[31]

Foreign relations

The Southern Transitional Council is widely considered as being backed by the United Arab Emirates. ^[8]

Military

The Southern Armed Forces is the military component of the Southern Transitional Council. The Security Belt is its elite forces wing. The STC is also allied with militia groups including the Hadhrami Elite Forces, the Shabwah Defence Forces, and the Southern Giants Brigades

Human rights

Amnesty International reported a series of human rights violations in STC-held areas. Since 2023, the STC in Aden introduced restrictions on civil society organizations, requiring permits from STC-run bodies for public activities. According to Amnesty, permit requirements often involved extensive reporting obligations and were sometimes used to limit opposition to the STC. ^[32]

Demographics

In 2013, the population of the present day governorates that comprised the former South Yemen was 5,715,975 representing 19% of the population of Yemen. ^[33]

References

1. "Yemen war: Separatists declare autonomous rule in south". April 26, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
2. "Yemen conflict: Southern separatists seize control of Aden". 2019-08-10. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
3. Wajdi, Izzat (2025-10-06). "حل الدولتين.. في اليمن" [The two-state solution... in Yemen]. الحرة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-12-04. القطيعة مع فكرة يمن موحد، حسب الزبيدي، "ستكون نهائية. لن يحمل اسم الدولة القادمة حتى كلمة اليمن". "دولة الجنوب العربي" هو الأكثر قبولاً لدى أنصار المجلس الانتقالي، وهو اسم قديم يعود إلى الاتحاد الذي أنشأه المستعمر البريطاني عند توحيده عددا من المشيخات والسلطنات في الجنوب قبل الاستقلال عام 1967.[The break with the idea of a unified Yemen, according to Al-Zubaidi, "will be final. The name of the future state will not even include the word Yemen." "The State of South Arabia" is the most acceptable name among supporters of the Transitional Council. It is an old name that dates back to the union created by the British colonists when they unified a number of sheikhdoms and sultanates in the south before independence in 1967.]
4. Schofield 1999. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSchofield1999 (help)
5. "As Demands remain unmet, retirees threaten to continue protests [Archives:2007/1082/Front Page]". September 2, 2007.
6. "Southern Yemenis protest Yemeni central government, 2007-2009 | Global Nonviolent Action Database". nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu.
7. Thabet, Saeed. "Analysis: Yemen's future after the separatist STC's expansion eastwards". Al Jazeera.
8. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/world/middleeast/yemen-militias-attack-oil-uae.html
9. "Yemen separatists declare self-governance of south". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
10. DC (ACW), Arab Center Washington (2024-05-22). "Israel, the UAE, and Yemen's South: The Politics of Unlikely Alliances". Arab Center Washington DC. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
11. Saudi Research & Marketing (uk) Ltd. "Thirty Southern Figures Reject Transitional Council in Aden – ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English". english.aawsat.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
12. "Separatist group announces self-rule in southern Yemen". Al Jazeera. 26 April 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020.
13. "Banished Aden governor forms independent "South Yemen" council". alaraby. alaraby.co.uk. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
14. Wintour, Patrick (2025-09-25). "Yemen needs two-state solution as no prospect of ousting Houthis, says southern leader". The Guardian . Retrieved 2025-09-25.
15. Naar, Ismaeel (10 December 2025). "Yemeni Separatists Set Sights on Houthi-Controlled Capital". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
16. The New Arab (16 May 2017). "GCC: Aden-based Southern Transitional Council 'doomed to fail'". alaraby. alaraby.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
17. "Pro-coalition government flees Aden as tensions with STC escalate". December 8, 2025.
18. Center, South24 (December 21, 2025). "Tens of Thousands Rally in Aden Demanding Restoration of South Arabia State". South24 Center.
19. Center, South24 (December 18, 2025). "Mass Rallies in South Yemen as Guterres Emphasizes Yemenis' Aspirations". South24 Center.
20. Pm, عدن-عربي21- أشرف الفلاحي 11:45 (December 21, 2025). "3 وزراء يمنيون يعلنون تأييدهم للمجلس الانتقالي وإعلان الانفصال (شاهد)". عربي21.
21. "Yemeni gov't ministries voice support for STC's military expansion in south".
22. Center, South24 (December 22, 2025). "New Statements from Aden Ministries Back STC and Call for South Arabia State". South24 Center.
23. "Yemeni presidency rejects ministers' pro-secession statements".
24. "قرارات رئاسية مرتقبة تشمل تغييرات واسعة في الحكومة بدعم سعودي لتعزيز الاستقرار شرق البلاد | نيوز لاين". www.newsline-ye.com.
25. "Separatists claim broad control of southern Yemen". The New Arab. 8 December 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
26. ctv.ca Yemen, divisions
27. Central Statistical Organisation of Yemen. Statistic Yearbook 2013 of Yemen Archived 12 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine . The fields in the population.xls file are decimals (though they appear as whole numbers). To get the figures in the table, they were multiplied by 1000. Accessed 13 January 2016.
28. "Where Coalitions Come to Die". Sana'a Center. 2019-09-04.
29. Forster, R (September 2017). "The Southern Transitional Council: Implications for Yemen's peace process" (PDF). Middle East Policy. 24 (3): 133–144. doi:10.1111/mepo.12295. hdl: 20.500.11820/eb7d2018-0f05-478d-aa15-3b38cdd796fa .
30. https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/873599718256852992
31. "اليمن.. المجلس الانتقالي الجنوبي يعقد أولى جلسات الجمعية الوطنية".
32. "Yemen: Southern Transitional Council must end crackdown on civic space". Amnesty International. 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
33. Central Statistical Organisation of Yemen. Statistic Yearbook 2013 of Yemen Archived 12 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Southern Transitional Council