- Yemen separatists announce independence referendum.
- Southern Transitional Council leads initiative.
- Referendum seeks formal southern independence.
After recusant forces took control of significant portions of the country's south in December, the Southern Transitional Council said that it would begin a two- time transitional period before establishing an independent state.
"We announce the commencement of a transitional phase lasting two years, and the Council calls on the international community to sponsor dialogue between the concerned parties in the south and the north,"
STC President Aidaros Alzubidi said in a televised address.
He did, however, issue a warning that the group would declare independence "immediately" if there was no communication or if southern Yemen was attacked once more.
Following airstrikes by Saudi Arabia on STC locations in southeast Yemen, the announcement was made.
A camp in al-Khasah, Hadhramaut, was targeted by airstrikes, resulting in at least seven fatalities and over twenty injuries.
The attacks coincided with an offensive by Riyadh-backed forces to retake territory that the STC had captured in December.
In a lightning-fast and largely unopposed offensive last month, STC forces took control of vast portions of Yemen's south, which is governed by a divided government with conflicting ambitions.
The conflict has revealed the worsening relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two strong Gulf governments and friends of the United governments.
Ten years ago, both nations made an unprofitable attempt to drive the Houthi revolutionists from Yemen's northern region.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have lately disaccorded over Sudan and Yemen while espousing divergent stations on Israel's irruption of Gaza and the new Syrian administration.
Following Israel's unilateral recognition of the breakaway Somali portion of Somaliland as an independent state, the STC made its declaration.
Somaliland and the UAE have strong political and military connections.
What are the chances the referendum will be recognized internationally?
The Southern Transitional Council( STC)'s blazoned independence vote for southern Yemen faces slim chances of transnational recognition due to its unilateral nature amid ongoing civil war and lack of broader Yemeni agreement.
The UN recognizes the Presidential Leadership Council( PLC) government; separatist votes like Crimea( 2014) were abrogated by UN judgments for violating territorial integrity. UAE tacitly supports STC, but Saudi Arabia( leadinganti-Houthi coalition) opposes, with recent airstrikes motioning rejection.
Major powers( US, EU) prioritize Hadi/ PLC legality under Riyadh Agreement. Precedents like Somaliland show de facto control without formal status. Success hinges on territorial hold and north- south addresses, doubtful by 2028 target.