Aden (South24 Center)

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Sources told South24 Center on Saturday, February 21, that the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, headed by Rashad Al-Alimi, has directed the closure of all offices of the Southern Transitional Council in the capital, Aden, and several southern governorates, effective Sunday morning.

The sources said instructions were issued to the relevant security authorities to implement the closure decision, without providing further details regarding the mechanism of implementation or its full geographic scope.

On Sunday (Ferbraury 22), the AIC TV affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, said security forces “backed by Saudi Arabia” prevented members and staff of the General Assembly from entering their headquarters in Al-Tawahi district.

The channel also reported that another security force closed the headquarters of the STC’s Foreign Affairs Authority in the same district and barred members from accessing the building.

#BREAKING

Aden Independent Channel (AIC): "Saudi-backed" security forces prevent members and employees of the National Assembly from entering its headquarters in Al-Tawahi, Aden#south24 pic.twitter.com/pdTm2ARq5j

— South24 | English (@South24E) February 22, 2026

Images published by the channel showed that the military force deployed at the site belongs to the Giants Brigades, led by Presidential Leadership Council member Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami.

This development comes weeks after the closure of the STC’s National Assembly headquarters in the Al-Tawahi district on January 29. The office was reopened three days later following protests in the city.

At the time, a security force had shut down the headquarters and prevented employees and assembly members from entering, prompting bodies within the Southern Transitional Council to issue statements describing the move as a “targeting of institutional work” and warning of its political repercussions.

No official comment has yet been issued by the Presidential Leadership Council regarding the new directives or the reported deployments. The Southern Transitional Council has not released an updated formal statement beyond media reports carried by its affiliated outlets.

In recent days, tensions have escalated in Aden and other southern governorates amid mass events supporting the Southern Transitional Council. Security authorities reportedly responded with force, including live ammunition.

On Thursday, February 19, one protester was killed and 20 others were wounded by security gunfire during a demonstration outside the Yemeni government headquarters in Ma’ashiq, in Aden’s Crater district. Protesters had called for northern ministers to leave the city, reflecting mounting political tensions between the STC and the internationally recognized government.