UAE-backed forces close STC-linked assembly headquarters in Yemen's Aden

The Southern Giants Brigades closed the headquarters of the now-dissolved Southern National Assembly, affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), in Yemen's southern city of Aden on Thursday, acting on orders from Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) member Abdulrahman "Abu Zaraa" al-Muharrami.

According to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister outlet al-Araby al-Jadeed, citing sources, all employees working at the assembly were expelled, while staff, leaders and members were barred from entering the premises.

Sources within the STC told al-Araby al-Jadeed that security measures had been heightened across several neighbourhoods in Aden. The move came a day after National Security Forces took control of the headquarters of the Storm Forces, which are affiliated with STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi.

STC sources said the assembly building had been closed and placed under the protection of the Giants Brigades after individuals "with no known responsibilities or links to the Transitional Council" entered the headquarters.

They added that those individuals were not members of the assembly, its administrative body or its staff.

The Southern National Assembly building is the first official STC-affiliated headquarters to be shut down in Aden since the council’s dissolution was announced earlier this month.

The developments follow a statement by Essam Abdo Ali, deputy chairman of the Assembly, in which he reiterated "the importance of strengthening southern national unity and standing responsibly behind the Southern Transitional Council, led by Commander Aidarous al-Zubaidi".

According to al-Araby al-Jadeed, a recent meeting also addressed preparations for announcing the formation of a new government.

Participants stressed "the necessity of responding to the legitimate demands of the people of the South", foremost among them the formation of a southern government to manage services and development in the southern governorates, alongside the formation of a northern government to continue the fight against the Houthi movement and pursue the recapture of Sanaa and other areas under its control.

The body also rejected decisions by PLC chairman Rashad al-Alimi to exclude STC representatives from the Presidential Leadership Council, describing the move as "a blatant violation of the outcomes of the Riyadh consultations", which it said formed the political basis of the current power-sharing arrangement under regional and international guarantees.

Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said on Monday that Riyadh hoped to maintain "strong, positive" relations with the United Arab Emirates, but stressed that future ties would depend on Abu Dhabi’s complete withdrawal from Yemen.

"The kingdom is always keen on having a strong, positive relationship with the UAE," bin Farhan said during a press conference in Warsaw.

"The UAE has now decided to leave Yemen, and if that is indeed the case, Saudi Arabia will take responsibility," he added.

Tensions in Yemen's government-controlled south escalated in December when UAE-backed separatist forces seized control of two provinces, prompting Saudi air strikes and a counter-offensive by pro-Saudi factions.

Since the UAE began withdrawing its forces, pro-Saudi groups have regained control over much of southern Yemen.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government remains a fragile coalition of rival factions united primarily by their opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and continue to control much of the country’s north.

The Houthis have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition backing the government since 2015, in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.