Aden witnesses security protests, STC escalates against Saudi Arabia

ADEN/LAHJ, Feb. 05 (YPA) – Yemen’s southern provinces witnessed a surge of protests and field escalations on Thursday.

Security recruits in Aden province took to the streets demanding financial rights, coinciding with massive rallies in Lahj province organized by the dissolved “Southern Transitional Council” (STC) in defiance of recent Saudi decisions.

In Aden’s Khormaksar district, dozens of security recruits loyal to Saudi Arabia gathered at Al-Aroudh Square to denounce “financial discrimination.” Protesters demanded pay parity with other factions, specifically calling for their overdue salaries to be paid in Saudi Riyals. They threatened further escalation, rejecting “temporary fixes” amid the worsening economic collapse.

Simultaneously, in the Radfan district of Lahj province, the STC organized a large-scale popular demonstration reacting to the Saudi announcement regarding the council’s dissolution—a move the protest’s final statement labeled “null and void.”

The demonstrators expressed their rejection of attempts to “spawn” political entities aimed at dividing southern ranks.  They called on international organizations to document Saudi airstrikes that targeted STC elements in Hadramout, Mahra, and Dhalea provinces last January.

Furthermore, the participants demanded an immediate end to the house arrest imposed on the dismissed Defense Minister, Mohsen Al-Daeri, in Riyadh, declaring a categorical rejection of the return of Presidential Leadership Council’s head, Rashad Al-Alimi, to Aden.

YPA