Supporters of Yemen's STC separatists rally in Aden as tensions rise

Thousands rallied in support of Yemen's southern separatists in the city of Aden on Saturday in a show of solidarity for the group, despite pro-Saudi officials prohibiting the gatherings.

The Southern Transitional Council faces an uncertain future with reports that its leader has fled the country, while a delegation it sent to Riyadh announced the dissolution of the group on Friday, though STC members elsewhere said it was done under duress.

The protests come amid a rapidly evolving situation. The UAE-backed STC made sweeping territorial gains in December only to be driven back this month by Saudi military power, exposing a rift between the Gulf allies.

The counter-offensive overseen by the Saudi-led coalition has seen the group lose swathes of territory, its forces targeted with air strikes and the future of its leadership structure brought into question.

But those who took to Aden's streets on Saturday want the STC to continue to push for a separate state.

The crowd waved the flag of the former South Yemen, which was an independent state between 1967 and 1990, while others displayed portraits of STC president Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.

"Today, the people of the south gathered from all provinces in the capital, Aden, to reiterate what they have been saying consistently for years and throughout the last month: we want an independent state," protester Yacoub Al-Safyani told AFP who spoke to AFP.

Others chanted anti-Saudi slogans.

Yemen's internationally recognised government is headquartered in Aden, with the capital Sanaa to the north held by Houthi rebels, but the city remains a stronghold for the STC.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE support different factions within the government, with Abu Dhabi backing the STC.

The government is a patchwork of factions, backed by different militias, that is held together by its opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis.

As well as backing the Yemeni government, the UAE and Saudi Arabia formed the backbone of the coalition fighting the Houthis rebels in Yemen, who overran Sanaa in 2014 and still control much of the country.