News - Yemen: Political and military affairs researcher Mahfoudh Salem Nasser asserted that the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council's (STC) decision to dissolve itself was a predictable outcome for a project that had effectively ended some time ago, citing its declining functional role, the flight of its leadership, and shifting regional patronage.

In an interview with Al-Masirah TV, Nasser argued the so-called Transitional Council was created from the outset to perform a specific functional role as an Emirati security tool, executing the agenda assigned to it. He emphasized this role practically ended, especially after STC head Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled Aden, shuttling between hesitation to go to Saudi Arabia, Somaliland, and then Abu Dhabi—reflecting the council's political and functional collapse.

Nasser suggested al-Zubaidi was allowed to leave under the watch of Saudi intelligence, which deliberately let him move freely despite having the ability to arrest or eliminate him. The aim, according to the analyst, was to avoid turning him into a "national hero" or "martyr," while simultaneously embarrassing the UAE, exposing its burnt-out card in Yemen, and portraying him as a fugitive and traitor.

He confirmed that the move by STC members currently in Saudi Arabia occurred within the context of these arrangements, under circumstances shrouded in ambiguity, with reports of restricted movements, confiscated phones, and prevented communication with the homeland—confirming they had no other choice.

Nasser opined the current scene indicates preparations for an alternative southern entity subordinate to Saudi Arabia, replacing the UAE-beholden STC. He explained that parallel threads—from the movements of the UN envoy, meetings of the US and Saudi ambassadors, to groups present in Riyadh—clearly indicate that the inputs and outputs of the so-called Southern-Southern Conference are pre-prepared.

This path, he added, involves granting Hadramawt special autonomy, placing it directly under the Saudi mantle, and preparing it for annexation through political, administrative, and security steps prepared via local figures and tools. This is alongside assembling armed forces and groups in preparation for new aggression targeting the free provinces.

Nasser stressed that blaming al-Zubaidi alone for the invasion of Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah makes him a "scapegoat," even though many who agreed to dissolve the council today were participants and supporters of those operations. He considered the role over, dispensed with after its function was exhausted.

Addressing the Southern Cause, Nasser affirmed it is a known issue of grievance, previously discussed in the National Dialogue Conference. He revealed his personal experience in 2013 participating in preparatory seminars discussing dialogue inputs, disclosing that many who entered the dialogue conference then did not understand the nature of the issues they were discussing.

He questioned the absence of historical and genuine southern symbols from the so-called Southern-Southern Dialogue, wondering about the absence of figures like Ali Nasser Mohammed and Mohammed Ali Ahmed, among other known leaders, versus the presence of figures he described as "politically burnt-out," possessing no popular base or real presence in the southern street.

Nasser affirmed that southern movements before the STC's establishment were peaceful, independent, and not beholden to any external decision, and what is happening today is emptying the Southern Cause of its real content, turning it into a vehicle for attaining positions and seizing public funds.

The new entity intended for creation, he indicated, will be beholden to Saudi guardianship, executing its orders, just as the STC was beholden to Emirati guardianship. He asserted that those summoned to the Southern-Southern Conference know nothing about its inputs or outputs and will only be asked to sign and stamp what Saudi Arabia decides.

The primary goal of this path, he added, is to legitimize what Saudi Arabia wants, giving Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah a special status serving old-new ambitions, alongside preparing the climate via armed and Takfiri groups and "Homeland Shield" and Giants Brigades forces to direct the compass toward Sana'a and the resistance axis.

Nasser confirmed that Saudi movements, including the visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister to Washington and meetings of the US ambassador in Riyadh, come within the framework of Saudi Arabia presenting itself as a more pliable alternative to the UAE, more capable of providing services to the Americans and the Zionist entity at lower cost and faster time.

He pointed out that Saudi-Emirati rivalry revolves around who provides greater service to American and Israeli interests inside Yemen, asserting that what happens behind the scenes differs greatly from what is said in the media. Field indicators, from imposing a curfew in Aden, the remaining armed pockets, and weapons proliferation, confirm the situation remains turbulent and may head towards guerrilla warfare and assassinations.

Mahfoudh Salem Nasser concluded his remarks by emphasizing that all ongoing movements feed into a single track: creating an alternative southern entity, placing Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah under direct Saudi control, and directing the compass toward the free provinces and the resistance axis, stressing that the coming days will reveal much of the hidden aspects of this complex scene.