Yemen army says 32 soldiers were killed in STC takeover of Hadramaut, Mahra

At least 32 soldiers were killed and 45 others wounded in the separatist Southern Transitional Council's (STC) takeover of Hadramaut Governorate earlier this month, the Yemeni army announced on Friday.

The army chief of staff's office said in a statement carried by the army's 26 September website that the soldiers "fell while carrying out their national and constitutional duty in defence of themselves and their country".

The statement said that several officers and soldiers remain missing, and that groups affiliated with the STC carried out "the liquidation of a number of wounded and the execution of detainees, in flagrant violation of all local and international laws".

The death toll comes weeks after UAE-backed STC forces took over the governorates of Hadramaut and Mahra, raising tensions in the country.

Since 2014, Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war pitting the Iran-backed Houthis against an internationally recognised government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition. The separatist STC is part of the anti-Houthi camp, but it seeks an independent state in southern Yemen.

Rashad al-Alimi, chair of the country's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), the ruling organ of the government, said earlier this week that separatists must hand over power to local authorities, warning of more bloodshed.

The STC, which is also a part of the PLC, issued a statement on Thursday with its allied groups, in which they ruled out handing back the territory.

"We are holding onto the legitimate right of our people to regain their fully independent and sovereign state. We are demanding the declaration of a southern federal state," according to the statement posted on the STC official website and signed by 29 political factions.