Southern leader calls for imprisonment of STC leaders for treason, corruption

ADEN, Feb. 17 (YPA) – Prominent southern leader Ali Al-Dhalei bin Harara, known as the “Sultan of the South,” has called for the arrest of the leaders of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) and their imprisonment on charges of treason and corruption.

This came in an audio recording circulating on social media platforms on Monday, in which he accused the head of the council, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, and the council members of involvement in corruption that led to the deterioration of the situation in Aden and the rest of the southern provinces.

Bin Harara described the current situation as “catastrophic,” indicating that the STC leaders are carrying out intelligence roles with Emirati support and in cooperation with figures he called “Al-Afafish” loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in a move aimed at controlling Aden and the southern regions.

He also described the STC leaders as “mercenaries” and considered them “a poisoned dagger in the back of the south,” stressing that they are exploiting the suffering of citizens, who suffer from a severe shortage of basic services such as electricity and food, to achieve personal gains and amass wealth.

Bin Harara called on the military and security leaders in the south, including leader Salah Al-Shanfara, to take responsibility and take immediate steps to arrest those leaders and put them in prison. He affirmed that the future of the southern provinces will not be achieved by relying on external parties such as Washington, Dubai, Riyadh, or Turkey.

Bin Harara’s statements come amid escalating popular protests in Aden and other southern provinces, where living and service conditions are witnessing a sharp deterioration, with an exchange of accusations between the STC and other components of the government supported by the Saudi-led coalition forces.

YPA