South24 Center (Aden)

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Large crowds gathered in Aden and Mukalla on Tuesday (September 1) to mark the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Southern Army, in two rallies called by the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The rallies carry particular political significance amid renewed debate over the possibility of another military confrontation with the Houthis and concerns that southern forces could be drawn into battles in North Yemen.

In Aden, the main rally began on Tuesday afternoon at Al-Aroudh Square following the arrival of large crowds and convoys from several southern governorates, including Al-Dhalea, Lahj, Abyan, and Shapwa.

Footage documented by South24 Center showed convoys heading toward Aden before the rally began, with participants carrying southern flags and images of STC President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.

In Mukalla, large crowds gathered outside the Hadramout governor’s palace despite a heavy security deployment and the closure of several roads leading to the rally site, according to local sources.

The sources said security forces closed Forty Apartments Street and the road near Shibam Roundabout, while a checkpoint near the Abdullah Gharib mountain pass prevented crowds arriving from outside Mukalla from entering the city.

Despite the restrictions, crowds from Seiyun, Ghail Bawazir, Al-Rayda, and Qusay’ir reached Mukalla, while demonstrators marched on foot from neighborhoods in the Al-Sharj area toward the gathering site.

Security forces later opened fire near Shibam Roundabout while attempting to disperse demonstrators and prevent them from reaching the main rally site. No confirmed casualties were immediately reported.

Footage obtained by South24 Center showed security personnel firing as demonstrators gathered. It was not clear whether the shots were fired into the air or toward the protesters, or which security unit the personnel belonged to.

The STC’s local leadership in Hadramout accused security forces of “storming” a women’s gathering near a hotel in Mukalla, attempting to detain participants, and preventing them from joining the rally.

It said several women fainted during what it described as a “violent” intervention. Hadramout’s security authorities did not immediately comment on the allegations or the gunfire.

The Mukalla rally came one day after the formal launch of the Supreme Hadrami Coordination Council, a new political body headed by Presidential Leadership Council member and Hadramout Governor Salem Ahmed Al-Khanbashi and backed by figures and groups close to Saudi Arabia.

The STC has rejected the formation of the new council, describing it as an attempt to reshape Hadramout’s political representation and sideline existing forces in the governorate.

In a joint political statement issued by the Aden and Mukalla rallies, participants reaffirmed their commitment to the southern forces, which they described as the historical continuation of the former Southern Army.

The statement rejected any attempts to dismantle those forces, weaken their units, or undermine the military gains they have made over the past decade.

It stressed that decisions on war and peace must remain “an exclusively southern sovereign decision” governed by southern national interests, adding that the primary mission of the southern forces is to defend the South, its people, territory, and political decision-making.

At the same time, the statement described the Houthis as a direct threat to regional security and freedom of international navigation. It said confronting these risks requires a comprehensive local, regional, and international approach, alongside continued cooperation with regional and international partners in counterterrorism efforts.

The statement sharply criticized what it called “coordination councils,” describing their establishment as an attempt to return Yemeni parties and political forces to the forefront of the southern political scene and impose Saudi-backed arrangements.

It also praised the turnout in Hadramout, portraying it as an expression of public opposition to the recently established Supreme Hadrami Coordination Council.

The statement revisited the military confrontation in Hadramout in early January, which ended with STC-affiliated forces leaving the governorate. It accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out a military operation against the southern forces and seeking to dismantle and weaken their units.

Participants also renewed their support for the political statement and constitutional declaration issued by the STC on January 2, 2026, which the council presents as a pathway toward southern independence and the restoration of a state within its pre-1990 borders.