Shafaq News– Aden

Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) said on Friday that it had dissolved itself and all affiliated bodies as a procedural step to enable its participation in Saudi-led talks on the country’s southern issue.

In a statement read by Ahmed Saeed bin Breik, secretary-general of the STC’s presidency body, the move was linked to recent developments in the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahra and was intended to “clear the way for engagement in the Southern Dialogue Conference scheduled to be held in Riyadh.”

On January 3, Saudi Arabia invited southern Yemeni political and social forces to attend the conference, which aims to develop a comprehensive framework for addressing the southern issue. The invitation followed a request by Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council head, Rashad al-Alimi, and received broad regional backing.

Bin Breik said the STC had not been part of the decision to launch military operations in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, noting that the fighting had damaged southern cohesion and strained relations with the Saudi-led coalition.

“The council’s continued existence no longer fulfilled its original mission of representing the southern cause and advancing the aspirations of southern Yemenis.”

The statement also welcomed what it described as Saudi Arabia’s “clear and explicit commitments” to reaching solutions aligned with the will of southern residents, urging southern political and social figures to engage constructively in the dialogue process.

An STC delegation arrived in Riyadh late on January 6, 2026, led by Secretary-General Abdulrahman Shaher al-Subaihi, to take part in the anticipated talks on the future of southern Yemen.

The decision comes amid heightened tensions since late December, after STC forces moved to assert control over parts of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, two provinces that together make up nearly half of Yemen’s territory and border Saudi Arabia.

An STC official told AFP that at least 80 of the group’s fighters were killed in clashes with Saudi-backed forces, with 152 wounded and 130 captured. Separate reports said 14 Saudi-backed troops were killed and about 30 were wounded.