Khaberni - In a swift response to the Saudi bombardment that targeted the port of Al-Mukalla in Hadhramaut, southern Yemen, crowds gathered in the southern cities to demand the Southern Transitional Council not to comply with threats, be affected by the military strikes, and accelerate the step of declaring the restoration of the South Arab state.
Saudi Arabia announced conducting a military operation targeting Al-Mukalla port in Hadhramaut, southern Yemen, stating it targeted shipments of weapons and heavy combat vehicles, and confirmed that it works on de-escalation in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra provinces, demanding the forces of the Southern Transitional Council to immediately withdraw from them.
The Southern Transitional Council had controlled Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra within an operation to combat terrorism and the outlaws who had committed violations against civilians and controlled oil facilities, causing power outages for citizens who urged the southern forces for immediate intervention to rescue the situation.
Saudi aggression
In a statement published by "Aden Time" newspaper, the Southern Transitional Council considered the air attack on Al-Mukalla in Hadhramaut as "a solitary Saudi aggression," rejecting the notion that the attacks were carried out by the Arab Coalition forces. A source from the council told the Yemeni newspaper, "After the Saudi strikes on Al-Mukalla, the legitimacy support alliance has become a thing of the past."
The Southern Transitional Council responded to the popular calls that demanded it to maintain its presence in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra despite the threats and the Saudi bombardment, confirming its continuation to stay in its locations in the two southern provinces.
Public response in Al-Mahra
Following the popular movement in Hadhramaut to secure the southern forces over its territories and reject the Saudi threats, crowds in Al-Mahra gathered in the sit-in squares to participate in "a million-person rally demanding the Southern Transitional Council to declare the state of the South Arab" according to Aden Time newspaper.
This public event is part of the rising popular movement in the southern cities to cling to the right of self-determination to restore the southern state that had existed indeed and enjoyed international and UN recognition.
Presidential Leadership Council's statement
The Presidential Leadership Council issued a statement announcing its rejection of the "individual decisions that defy the law and constitution", made by Rashad Al-Alimi, head of the council, without consensus or approval of the council members, following the Saudi strike on the southern Yemeni territories, which included "cancelling the mutual defense agreement with the UAE and demanding all its forces and personnel to leave the country within 24 hours".
The statement from the council, which includes Major General Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, head of the Southern Leadership Council, Major General Abu Zara’a Al-Muharrami, Major General Faraj Al-Bahsani, and Major General Tariq Saleh, expressed "great concern over the unilateral measures and decisions taken by the head of the Presidential Leadership Council, including the declaration of a state of emergency, issuing dangerous political and security descriptions, leading to the claim of removing the United Arab Emirates from the Arab coalition and from the territories of Yemen."
The members in their statement clearly rejected the decisions, stating "the illegality of actions taken, and that what has been issued by the head of the council is a clear violation of the power transfer declaration, which clearly stipulates that the Presidential Leadership Council is a collective body, its decisions to be made by consensus, or by majority when consensus cannot be reached, and does not in any case allow the unilateral making of sovereign, military or political decisions, and hence, any decisions issued outside this collective framework lack constitutional and legal basis, and whoever issued them bears full responsibility for the consequences arising from them."
