YEMEN Press Agency

Sanaa declares collapse of STC project as Al-Zubaidi’s exit sparks political storm

SANAA, Jan. 08 (YPA) – In a striking political development reflecting deep disarray within the Riyadh–Abu Dhabi camp, authorities in Sanaa issued sharply worded statements declaring what they described as the collapse of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) project and the flight of its leadership at a decisive moment.

This came amid direct accusations of subservience and the surrender of national sovereignty.

The statements carried political and warning messages urging southern Yemenis to reassess their positions and disengage from what Sanaa described as foreign-backed projects, stressing that national unity has become the sole viable option to spare the country further fragmentation and chaos.

In this context, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Political Bureau of Ansarallah, launched a scathing attack on STC President Aidrous al-Zubaidi, describing his reported departure from the field as an explicit declaration of the humiliating end of the STC project.

In a video message released on Thursday, al-Bukhaiti said al-Zubaidi’s absence from the confrontation amounted to a moral and political collapse, arguing that even leaving under bombardment and threat would have represented a deeper level of humiliation than withdrawal without confrontation.

He added that the stigma would continue to haunt Zubaidi and other STC leaders, not because they lost a battle to Saudi Arabia and its allied forces, but because they had, for years, aligned themselves with what he termed “aggression and occupation,” supplying tens of thousands of fighters from southern provinces to defend Saudi interests along the Yemeni-Saudi border.

Al-Bukhaiti accused Zubaidi of reaching “the height of dependency,” citing his public declarations of absolute loyalty to Saudi Arabia and its leadership, and his pledge to act as an obedient instrument wherever Riyadh chooses, inside or outside Yemen.

He further questioned the motives behind Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen in 2015, asserting it stemmed from Riyadh’s perception of Ansarallah’s presence in Saada as a security threat and its refusal to submit to Saudi dictates.

Al-Bukhaiti then compared this to what he described as Saudi Arabia’s current confrontation with the STC, arguing that Riyadh now views STC forces in Hadramout and al-Mahra as a threat to its border security, despite their proclaimed loyalty to Saudi and Emirati interests.

Addressing residents of southern provinces—particularly in Dhalea and Radfan—al-Bukhaiti called for a reassessment of their stance and a return to what he described as the national fold, adding that Yemen’s only path forward lies in unity and a comprehensive struggle to restore sovereignty, independence, and end the suffering of the population.

He also issued a warning to Yemen’s Islah party, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, cautioning against celebrating current developments, saying that Abu Dhabi had already turned against it and that Saudi Arabia would prove no more loyal in the long term.

AA

 

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