Mustafa Al-Numan speaks about the Saudi-Emirati position on secession and the latest developments in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra

Yemen

Yamanat

Mustafa Al-Numan, Deputy Foreign Minister of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, said the moves made by the Southern Transitional Council in the eastern governorates, led by Hadramaut and Al-Mahra, came as a surprise to everyone, noting that their timing was not understood, especially since the situation was developing normally before the recent wave of escalation.

Disagreements and divergences

Al-Numan explained, in an interview with the German website Deutsche Welle, that what happened clearly revealed the existence of disagreements and differences within the Presidential Leadership Council, as well as among the ministers of the internationally recognized government, stressing that these differences were reflected in the way of handling recent developments on the ground.

He stressed that the Presidential Command Council and the Yemeni government, in coordination with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are making great efforts to contain tensions and stop the deterioration, stressing that diligent efforts are being made to prevent the situation from sliding towards more dangerous paths.

Consequences of escalation

Al-Numan highlighted the difficulty of predicting the outcome of the escalation in Hadhramawt and Al-Mahra governorates, in light of the complexity of the scene and the intersection of political and military factors, warning that any uncalculated measures could open the door to undesirable scenarios.

Separation

He stressed that the Southern Transitional Council cannot achieve secession by force, nor impose it without a political agreement with the legitimate government, stressing that any unilateral declaration of secession by Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi will not receive regional support.

Challenges

Al-Numan explained that countries in the region suffer from major problems and challenges that prevent them from creating new states or supporting separatist projects, pointing out that the UAE, despite its support for the Transitional Council, has not officially announced its support for the secession of South Yemen or the creation of an independent state.

Risks

He warned that further division of Yemen would bring greater risks to the entire region, emphasizing that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is most concerned about the stability of Yemen, and is also the most affected by the unrest it is witnessing.

interests

He added that no Saudi official is talking about the secession of southern Yemen from its north, stressing that the secession of the south serves neither the interests of Saudi Arabia nor those of the UAE, and is not in the interest of the security and stability of the region.

Yemen