Video scandal at Riyadh hotel sparks southern Yemen backlash

RIYADH, Jan. 28 (YPA) – Yemen’s southern public has been significantly stirred by widely shared footage from a hotel in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where politicians and media figures invited to the “Southern–Southern Dialogue” are staying.

The video that went viral on social media, was described by activists as embarrassing, shows several media figures linked to the dissolved Southern Transitional Council engaging in what critics called childish behavior, playing on swings inside their accommodation.

The viral footage, labeled embarrassing by activists, shows media figures linked to the dissolved Southern Transitional Council playing on swings inside their accommodation in what critics described as childish behavior.

The footage emerged as Saudi Arabia announced the postponement of the talks over organizational confusion, with officials telling some invitees that preparations were incomplete.

Political observers attributed the delay to deep divisions among southern factions in Riyadh, while others seemed more focused on what critics called hotel luxury.

Rising tensions in Hadramout and Aden, along with Saudi pressure to restructure southern forces, delayed the dialogue, shifting the scene from a political process to what critics view as a leisure trip rather than a serious dialogue.

@E.Y.M