CONDEMNATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE SOUTHERN TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) expresses its strongest condemnation of the Saudi aggression and the serious military war being waged against South Arabia, represented by air raids carried out by the Saudi Air Force concurrently with a ground offensive launched by Northern forces affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. This represents an extremely dangerous development that threatens the security of civilians and the integrity of the land and undermines the foundations of regional stability.

This serious aggressive war against our people constitutes a clear violation of the principles of international humanitarian law, conflicts with the legal and moral obligations concerning the protection of civilians, and represents an unjustified targeting of a people who have been, and continue to be, an active partner in combating terrorism, protecting international maritime routes, and enhancing security and stability in the region.

The STC affirms that this hostile military approach has resulted in the martyrdom of civilians and the destruction of infrastructure in the Wadi of Hadramaut and provides an opportunity for terrorist organizations and the Houthis to exploit the situation and resume their terrorist activities. Furthermore, it reflects attempts to impose unification by force and reproduces the wars and invasions of the North against the South in 1994 and 2015, overriding the will of the people of the South and their legitimate right to determine their political future according to their free will, in line with the principles of justice and peace.

In this context, the STC stresses that the people of the South and their government armed forces are acting with the highest degree of responsibility and are avoiding being drawn into futile confrontations while fully and legitimately retaining the right to self-defense and to protect their security and dignity, in accordance with what is guaranteed by international laws and norms. The STC holds the implementing and instigating parties fully responsible for the humanitarian and security consequences of this blatant aggression.

Addressing regional and international public opinion, the STC calls for a clear, responsible, and firm stance to secure the immediate cessation of military hostilities, the protection of civilians, and respect for the South's particularity and the will of its people, and demands serious engagement in a just and comprehensive political process to ensure sustainable peace and stability, away from the logic of force, which inevitably leads to further tension and instability.

At the same time, the STC affirms that it will not hesitate to protect and secure the South and its people in the face of this criminality being practiced by Northern forces affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood with Saudi support and backing by land, air, and sea.

Issued by:

The Southern Transitional Council (STC)