Thu Jan 01 15:45:41 UTC 2026: Okay, here’s a summary and a news article based on the text you provided:
Summary:
Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the UAE, seized control of Hadramawt and Mahra provinces in December 2025, escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government. Saudi Arabia demanded the STC fully withdraw from the newly captured territories. The STC has announced an agreement to allow Saudi-aligned government forces (National Shield forces) to deploy in those regions. However, Saudi sources suggest this is insufficient and a complete STC withdrawal is necessary to meet Saudi Arabia’s security needs. Experts believe this deployment could be a face-saving measure on the part of the STC that had been offered to Riyadh and rejected in the past. This move follows Saudi airstrikes on what it claimed was an Emirati arms shipment destined for the separatists and the UAE’s announcement that it will withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen after Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour deadline for their removal. The STC’s actions have further complicated Yemen’s already complex civil war, potentially hindering peace negotiations with the Houthi rebels and raising the possibility of renewed calls for South Yemen independence.
News Article:
Yemen Separatists Offer Conditional Deployment of Government Forces, Saudi Arabia Unimpressed
Al Mukalla, Yemen – January 1, 2026 – The Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group in Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, announced today it would allow Saudi-aligned government forces to deploy in the resource-rich provinces of Hadramawt and Mahra, which the STC seized last month. The move is intended to ease tensions with Saudi Arabia, which has demanded a complete withdrawal of STC forces from the area.
However, sources close to the Saudi government say the deployment of the “National Shield” government forces is not sufficient to meet Saudi Arabia’s security concerns. “We have to wait and see what is carried out on the ground,” said one Saudi source, emphasizing the need for a full STC withdrawal.
The STC’s offensive last month has strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, officially allies in Yemen’s ongoing civil war. The Saudi-led coalition recently conducted airstrikes targeting what it claimed was a shipment of Emirati weapons destined for the separatists. The UAE has denied the claim and announced that it will withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen following Saudi Arabia’s 24-hour deadline for their removal.
The STC maintains that the government forces entering the territories will largely consist of southerners funded and supervised by Saudi Arabia, aiming to negate any argument used by those inciting Saudi Arabia.
Analysts view the STC’s offer with skepticism. “If a complete withdrawal and handover of Hadramawt and Mahra takes place, it could be a prelude to de-escalation,” said Farea Al-Muslimi, a researcher at Chatham House. “If it doesn’t happen… it will never resolve Saudi Arabia’s clear and direct security demands.”
The STC’s actions have further complicated the already fragile situation in Yemen, raising concerns about the potential for renewed conflict and hindering peace negotiations with the Houthi rebels, who control the capital, Sanaa. The possibility of renewed calls for the independence of South Yemen, which was a separate state from 1967 to 1990, also looms over the situation. Musaed Salem, a local resident of Qatn city in Hadramawt, voiced hope for stability in the region. “We don’t want war. We want security and stability in Hadramawt and everywhere,” he said.
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