The British newspaper The Guardian has warned of the significant danger posed by the control exerted by the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC), a militia backed by the Emirati occupation, over the southern and eastern occupied provinces. The newspaper believes this reality effectively sets the stage for dividing the country and places Yemen’s unity under its greatest test in decades.
The report noted that the STC has succeeded in imposing its military and administrative authority over southern and eastern provinces with the support of the Emirati occupation, turning these areas into an externally dominated enclave, detached from international law and citizens’ rights.
According to the newspaper, the STC—through direct backing from the Emirati occupation—has tightened its grip over vital ports, airports, and oil facilities in Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Shabwah, and Hadhramaut, placing these provinces under Abu Dhabi’s military influence.
The Guardian stated that the STC’s full control over the southern and eastern provinces constitutes a prelude to the division of Yemen, as these areas have become arenas for the Emirati occupation, its tools, and its militias, far away from any national authority. The report stressed that the continuation of this situation will complicate all political efforts to establish peace in Yemen, open the door to increased regional interventions, intensify civilian suffering, and deepen social fragmentation.
The British newspaper also highlighted the Emirati role in expanding the influence of the so-called Transitional Council by financing, arming, and training its militias, as well as directing its control over oil ports and strategic airports. It added that Abu Dhabi has been redrawing the military and political map of Yemen’s southern and eastern provinces to secure its regional interests, making the STC a direct executive tool of foreign policy, detached from any genuine national interest for the Yemeni people.
Under this control, the southern and eastern provinces have become a testing ground for the Emirati occupation to implement strategies of domination and partition. Meanwhile, residents face ongoing political and security chaos, economic pressures, blockades imposed on ports and vital facilities, restrictions on movement, and near-complete control over airspace and airports. According to the report, these conditions render any effort to preserve national unity extremely difficult, especially as regional interventions and foreign-funded militias continue to proliferate.
