STC sparks outrage in southern Yemen by sending 100 students to UAE

ADEN, Sept. 06 (YPA) -The Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s dispatch of 100 students to the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi, on Thursday has sparked outrage in southern Yemen, amid accusations of excessive regional bias and marginalization against the people of the southern and eastern governorates controlled by the Saudi-led coalition.

The STC has secured control over the so-called ‘scholarships offered by the UAE,’ allocating 68 of the 100 announced seats exclusively for candidates from the Dhalea province.

The remaining 32 seats were distributed among other provinces. The move was condemned by activists on social media as ‘excessive regionalism,’ accusing the STC of marginalizing and completely excluding applicants from the Radfan area.

The lists included male and female students who had reached advanced educational levels at some universities in Aden, among them a young woman named “Nahla Naif.”

This came amid accusations that these scholarships were part of carrying out suspicious and unclear agendas on behalf of the UAE behind those scholarships.

Following the widespread attack launched by activists from the southern governorates, the STC claimed that the selection of students was done in coordination with the education office directors in the governorates.

The director of education in Shabwa, “Salim Hanish,” denied any knowledge of these scholarships provided by the UAE or the nomination of students from Shabwa.

Meanwhile, the “Minister of Higher Education” in the government aligned with the coalition, “Khaled Al-Wasabi,” posted on Facebook, stating that his ministry had no involvement or knowledge about the sending of 100 students by the STC to the UAE, adding that he only learned of these scholarships through social media posts by activists.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been competing to recruit students from the southern governorates to their military and security colleges, serving their agendas and influence in southern Yemen, including university scholarships for loyal forces and factions over the past years.

@E.Y.M