Al-Mukalla (south24)

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Major General Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), in South Yemen, confirmed his support for the call for the resumption of the implementation of the provisions of the Riyadh Agreement.

In a speech, Saturday, he stressed that the STC supports the call for the resumption and completion of the implementation of the remaining provisions of the Riyadh Agreement, confronting hotbeds of chaos and confronting the efforts of the influential and subversive forces seeking to impede the implementation of the agreement.

Al-Zoubaidi added that there are parties that are exercising their powers completely separate from the government’s authority in the capital, Aden.

He also indicated that those parties are refusing to "transfer of the military forces in Shabwa, Wadi Hadramout and Al-Mahra to the fronts to confront the Houthi militia, as stipulated in the agreement."

By this, Al-Zoubaidi probably meant the authorities of Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, and his military forces deployed in eastern South Yemen, which are still stationed in Wadi Hadramout and Shabwa and to the east in the governorate of Mahra, which borders the Sultanate of Oman.

While Al-Zoubaidi referred to the need for these forces in the burning areas in North Yemen, "the most important thing is the right of the people of Hadramout, Shabwa and Al-Mahrah to manage and protect their areas exclusively."

The new government is inconsistent with the Yemeni presidency, whose decisions are controlled by the vice president and the Muslim Brotherhood, according to many observers.

The Riyadh Agreement, signed in the Saudi capital between the Yemeni government and the STC in 2019, had provided for many military arrangements, as well as the appointment of a new governor and security director for the port city of Aden, and the formation of a new government.

Popular protests and terrorist attacks

Aden and Abyan had witnessed "terrorist" attacks, including an explosive device, against the Minister of Civil Service and Insurance, and a member of the STC Presidency, Dr. Abdul Nasser Al-Wali, last Thursday. It was not known who was behind the attack, and no party has claimed responsibility for it. The parity Government in Aden condemned the attack in "the strongest terms", accusing parties who seeking to thwart the consensus and the Riyadh Agreement.

Read Also: The resurgence of terrorist groups in South Yemen and STC calls for support

In Abyan, an armed attack by gunmen believed to be from Al-Qaeda targeted military points of the Security Belt Forces of STC, in the cities of Ahwar and Al-Wadhie on two consecutive days, killing 13 people, including civilians, and wounding others, including children.

Al-Zoubaidi's speech comes at a time when the cities of South Yemen are witnessing widespread popular protests against the interruption of services and the deterioration of the living and humanitarian situation, which prompted some demonstrators to cross the security barriers of the government headquarters and protest in front of its headquarters in the Maasheeq Palace in Crater in Aden.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry, whose country leads the coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015, condemned what it described as "the protesters storming the Maasheeq Palace," the seat of the government.

Read Also: Saudi Arabia and STC in South Yemen: What is the problem?

Al-Zoubaidi called on "the parity government to play its role and work at an accelerated pace to alleviate the suffering of our people and address the economic situation."

Al-Zubaidi, who is the commander of the Southern Armed Forces, which still plays an effective role in combating terrorism, affirmed that "every drop of southern blood that is treacherously shed by the forces of terrorism and extremism will be a hell that burns those forces and accelerates their end."

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- South24 Center for News and Studies