The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) seems to be eager to ensure its control over the South Yemen capital of Aden after fighting last week, and has reportedly arrested scores of people believed to be loyalists to the pro-Saudi government.



The government retook Aden last week for about a day, only to lose it back with UAE airstrikes supporting a separatist push. In keeping with anti-Saudi narratives from last week, the loyalists are being charged as “terrorists.”



The Hadi government condemned the arrests, claiming they were “politically motivated.” That seems to be the case, of course, but both sides have broken their former alliance and are vilifying one another.



While the Saudis are calling for a summit to resolve this, the Hadi government seems to be resistant to any talks, and are demanding the STC surrender unilaterally before any talks begin. The Hadi government took a similar position to the Houthi movement, which is why that war has dragged on for years.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz