Yemen’s Southern Separatists Attack the Very Government They’re Supposed to Support

The Southern Transitional Council’s latest broadside against Yemen’s internationally recognized government exposes the fatal contradiction at the heart of the anti-Houthi coalition: its members spend more energy fighting each other than their common enemy.

A Coalition in Name Only

The Southern Transitional Council (STC), ostensibly a key partner in Yemen’s internationally recognized government, has once again demonstrated that the anti-Houthi alliance exists more in diplomatic communiqués than on the ground. By accusing the government of deliberately blocking efforts to liberate northern territories from Houthi control, the STC reveals the deep fractures that have plagued Yemen’s resistance movement since the civil war began in 2014.

This isn’t merely political theater. The STC, backed by the United Arab Emirates, controls significant portions of southern Yemen, including the temporary capital of Aden. Meanwhile, the Saudi-backed government of President Rashad al-Alimi struggles to project authority beyond the areas directly controlled by Saudi forces. The result is a bizarre situation where two nominal allies maintain separate military forces, competing foreign patrons, and fundamentally incompatible visions for Yemen’s future.

The Real Battle: South vs. Government

The STC’s accusation that the government is blocking “liberation battles” against the Houthis would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. Since 2019, the STC has repeatedly turned its guns on government forces, seizing territory in the south while the Houthis consolidated their grip on the north. The most recent clashes in August 2024 saw STC forces attack government positions in Abyan and Shabwa provinces—hardly the behavior of an ally preparing to march on Houthi strongholds.

What the STC leadership calls preparation for a “liberation battle” looks suspiciously like positioning for southern independence. The council’s ultimate goal has never been hidden: they seek to restore the independent South Yemen that existed before unification in 1990. Every weapon they acquire, every territory they control, serves this agenda rather than the stated goal of defeating the Houthis.

The International Community’s Willful Blindness

The international community, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, bear significant responsibility for this dysfunction. Despite their shared opposition to Iran’s support for the Houthis, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have backed different horses in Yemen’s internal power struggle. The Saudis support the official government while the Emiratis arm and train the STC, creating parallel power structures that spend more time undermining each other than fighting their supposed common enemy.

This strategic incoherence has real consequences. While the anti-Houthi coalition tears itself apart, the Houthis have transformed from a ragtag militia into a de facto state controlling most of Yemen’s population centers. They’ve developed domestic weapons production, established government institutions, and even launched attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. The STC’s complaints about blocked liberation efforts ring hollow when their own actions have done more to prevent unified resistance than any government obstruction.

A Path to Nowhere

The tragedy is that ordinary Yemenis pay the price for this political dysfunction. In Houthi-controlled areas, citizens face repression, economic collapse, and forced conscription. In the south, they endure a different but equally destructive chaos as competing militias carve up territory and resources. The humanitarian crisis deepens while political leaders trade accusations and plan their next moves in the chess game of Yemeni politics.

Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: the war against the Houthis cannot be won as long as their opponents remain more interested in fighting each other than achieving victory. The STC’s latest rhetorical escalation is just another chapter in this self-defeating saga. Until southern separatists and the internationally recognized government find a way to align their interests—or at least postpone their own conflict—the Houthis will continue to rule the north while their enemies exhaust themselves in fratricidal conflict. The question remains: how many more years of suffering will it take before Yemen’s leaders realize that their real enemy isn’t each other?