Intel: US 'concerned' over separatists declaring self-rule in Yemen
The US government is concerned by the actions of a separatist group that declared self-rule in parts of southern Yemen over the weekend, said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The US government is concerned by the actions of a separatist group that declared self-rule in parts of southern Yemen over the weekend, said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
On Sunday, the Southern Transitional Council declared a state of emergency and autonomous rule in the south of the country, including the strategic port city of Aden, which functions as the de facto capital of the Yemeni government.
“Such unilateral actions only exacerbate instability in Yemen,” said Pompeo in a statement Tuesday evening. “They are especially unhelpful at a time when the country is threatened by COVID-19 and also threaten to complicate the efforts of the UN special envoy to revive political negotiations between the government and the Houthi rebels.”
Why it matters: The southern rebellion threatens to unravel a Saudi-brokered deal between the UN-recognized government and the separatists. The November 2019 pact, known as the Riyadh Agreement, ended a months-long power struggle over the city of Aden.
