Ben Brik vows to take over Yemen’s south

ADEN, Jan. 1 (YPA) – The vice president of the so-called the UAE-backed Southern Tractional Council (STC) Hani Ben Brik, on Wednesday promised the government of Hadi and Saudi Arabia of a harsh and painful response against what he called the practices of repression against the people of the south.

Ben Brik, who is backed by the UAE, said the time to attack Legitimacy and Saudi Arabia’s successor is irreversible.

Ben Brik added that the STC is not stupid and its forces are not weak, as the Islah and Saudi forces think, stressing the ability of its forces to control all the southern provinces.

Observers see the remarks as an indication of his forces’ intention to fight a new battle against the Islah forces involved in the so-called Hadi government, expecting the transitional forces to arrest Hadi’s prime minister, who returned to Aden under the Riyadh agreement.

Earlier today, the STCT announced the suspension of its participation in all joint committees to implement the Riyadh Agreement signed with Hadi’s government in protest against the military escalation in Shabwah province.

Al-Islah militias launched a large-scale arrest campaign on Wednesday morning in the “Luqmush and Al-Ruzmah” tribes of Shabwah province, detaining dozens of recruits and supporters of the STC after senior leaders fled to Aden province.

E.M