Southern Transitional Council Archives

UAE forces to depart Yemen after Saudi demands, strikes

Bridget Toomey | December 31, 2025

The United Arab Emirates announced the withdrawal of its forces from Yemen after demands for their departure from Saudi and select Yemeni leaders and Saudi airstrikes targeting Yemeni separatist groups. The UAE forces previously served in a counterterrorism capacity as part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as their respective local partners, are renegotiating the balance of power in Yemen after southern separatist forces captured the country’s eastern territory.

Southern Transitional Council seizes key areas of Yemen’s Hadramawt Governorate from rival government forces

Bridget Toomey | December 4, 2025

Forces aligned with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which controls much of southern Yemen and advocates for the region’s secession, advanced into key areas in Hadramawt governorate. The STC, which is part of the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG), clashed with rival government forces in the large, resource-rich Yemeni province following rising tensions with a Hadramawt tribal leader, Sheikh Amr Bin Habriesh.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula kills 4 Yemeni soldiers in complex suicide assault

Bill Roggio & Bridget Toomey | October 23, 2025

The attack targeted the headquarters of the 1st Support and Reinforcement Brigade, which is part of the alliance of pro-government forces in southern Yemen. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remains active in the south, despite setbacks.

Yemeni officials seize weapons sent to Houthis

Bridget Toomey | August 15, 2025

Yemeni forces seized a shipment of weapons that originated in China and was bound for the Houthis, marking the second major weapons interception this summer. The seized shipments indicate the Yemeni terrorist group’s efforts to rearm.