Yemen: Insurgents in the south have also declared independence

The crisis has been exacerbated for the Yemeni government, which in the southern part of the country, following the Houthi insurgency, has announced its government by scrapping the unity and peace agreement, while the Saudi-led coalition has rejected the announcement.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) accused the government of failing to perform its duties and conspiring against the affairs of the southern region, AFP reported.

The STC blamed the government for not implementing the peace agreement and announced the formation of an independent government, which has already begun.

The Yemeni government condemned the move, saying those working for independence in the south would be responsible for the devastating and dangerous consequences.

The split in the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels was largely due to the internationally recognized government announcing a unilateral ceasefire with the Houthi rebels over the coronavirus, which the Houthi rebels rejected. ۔

It is to be noted that there were serious differences between the Yemeni government and the STC alliance last year, but due to the efforts of the United Arab Emirates and the Saudi government, a peace agreement was reached between the two sides in Riyadh.

The STC took control of Aden, Yemen's second-largest city, in August last year, which has been described as a civil war.

The agreement reached in the Saudi capital was soon ineffective due to the failure of the southern rebels to have an equal share in the government and the reorganization of the army.

According to the report, the STC had announced in its statement that it was forming a government in the southern regions, which would begin on the night of April 25, 2020.

The statement said that "an autonomous committee will begin its work in the light of the orders given by the presidency of the council".

Reports from Aden residents say a heavy contingent of STC forces has been deployed in the city.

Rebel sources said they had set up checkpoints at all government offices, including the central bank and the port of Aden.

The city of Aden has long queues of vehicles with STC flags, but politically the whole of the southern region is tenser as other cities refuse to recognize their sovereignty and stay with the government.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hadrami said the STC's move was "a continuation of the armed uprising since last August and the rejection of the Riyadh agreement."

Fighting between the government and Houthi rebels in Yemen has killed more than 10,000 civilians in the past five years, with the first case of the coronavirus reported earlier this month in the area of ​​Hadhrat Muwat, a southern rebel stronghold. 

In addition to fears of the spread of the coronavirus in the country, floods this month have killed at least 21 civilians and destroyed many homes and roads in Aden.

The STC has the support of the United Arab Emirates, while the United Arab Emirates, like the rebels, has a strong stance against the Muslim Brotherhood and the Yemeni Brotherhood's Jamaat-ul-Islah, which is represented in the recognized government.