Aden (South24 Center)

The renewal of mandatory arrest warrants against several senior leaders of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has triggered a new political controversy in the capital, Aden, amid warnings from the council over the consequences of these measures.

The Legal Affairs and Human Rights Authority of the STC Presidency’s Secretariat-General discussed on Sunday (May 17) the mandatory arrest warrants issued against several council leaders, describing them as “a violation of the constitution and the law.”

During a meeting held in Aden, the Authority said the arrest warrants against the STC’s Acting Secretary-General, Waddah Al-Halmi, and a number of other leaders represent “a violation of legal procedures.”

The Authority emphasized the need to respect the independence of the judiciary and refrain from weaponizing judicial and security tools for political purposes.

It also stressed the importance of separating political disputes from judicial procedures, calling for adherence to the law and demanding that state institutions not be used to settle political scores.

According to circulated documents and local media reports, the Public Prosecution in Aden reactivated mandatory arrest warrants, based on a request from the Aden Security Directorate, against Waddah Al-Halmi; Nasr Harharah, Acting Chairperson of the STC’s National Assembly; and Shukri Ba’ali, Head of the STC’s Political Department, with directives to bring them in “even by force.”

Some local reports said the new request was submitted by Aden’s Security Director on May 11, 2026, and accused the three leaders of “inciting chaos” and “destabilizing security and stability” in the city. Other reports said a fourth figure not affiliated with the STC, Sabir Subairah, was also named in previous proceedings linked to the same file.

The renewed arrest warrant came only days after reports said previous mandatory arrest warrants against STC leaders had been canceled. According to documents cited by local media, Aden Police had earlier informed the Specialized Criminal Prosecution that it had been unable to complete the evidence-gathering procedures in the case. The prosecution later reportedly said there was no legal objection to canceling the warrants.

On May 14, the STC Secretariat-General condemned what it described as the “renewal of mandatory arrest warrants” against several council leaders, considering the measures a form of “political escalation.”

Fadhl Al-Gaadi, a member of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission and the Southern Negotiating Delegation in Riyadh, said on May 16 that “the insistence on issuing mandatory arrest warrants against political leaders and activists does not create stability, but rather exacerbates chaos.”

Commenting on the reactivation of the arrest warrants, Waddah Al-Halmi said in a post on X that the measures are “illegal,” stressing that they “will not intimidate us or alter our steadfastness toward the cause of the people of the South.”

He added that what is happening represents “political targeting under the guise of arbitrary measures,” arguing that the matter goes beyond political disagreement and amounts to “an attempt to confiscate the popular will of the Southern national project.”

An STC source told South24 Center that the figures included in the arrest warrants “are not in unknown locations” and that the security apparatuses “know their whereabouts.”

One of the individuals included in the mandatory arrest warrant told South24 Center that he had personally gone to the Criminal Investigation Department last April after learning of the existence of arrest warrants, informing them that he had no objection to appearing before the competent authorities if there were any legal accusations against him.

He said he was informed at the time that there were no charges against him, before later being surprised by the issuance of mandatory arrest warrants against him and other STC leaders.

On April 13, the STC announced the issuance of mandatory summons warrants against Waddah Al-Halmi over accusations related to “inciting chaos and destabilizing security and stability.” The warrants were later frozen before reportedly being canceled and then reactivated in recent days.