STC's Secretariat Organizes Oratorical and Artistic Festival Celebrating 60th Anniversary of Glorious 14 October Revolution

The General Secretariat of the Presidium of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) organized on Saturday, in the capital, Aden, an oratorical and artistic festival to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the glorious 14 October Revolution, under the generous patronage of President Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the STC, Supreme Commander of the Southern Armed Forces, and Vice Presidential Leadership Council (STC), sloganed “The South will only be with and for all its People.”

In the beginning of the festival, which was attended by Mr. Fadhl Al-Gaadi, member of the STC's Presidium and Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of the Presidium of the STC, Major General Haitham Qassem Taher, member of the STC's Presidium, former Minister of Defense in the State of the South, and a number of members of the Presidium of the Council, heads of its various bodies, commissions, Security and military Commanders, political, social leaders and feminist figures, Mr. Ali Al-Kathiri, Acting President of the STC and Chairman of the National Assembly, delivered a speech in which he conveyed the greetings and congratulations of President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi to all the attendees on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the glorious 14 October Revolution.

Mr. Al-Kathiri described the 14 October Revolution as the mother revolution that emanated and triggered from the uncompromising struggles of the people of the South and culminated in national independence on November 30, 1967, pointing out on this anniversary the importance of getting inspied by those struggles of the people of the South at the present time, which is about to complete its second independence, and mentioning on this occasion the sixteenth anniversary of Radfan platform massacre, which revealed the evil face of the second Yemeni occupation.

Al-Kathiri affirmed that the STC, led by President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, is steadfastly forging ahead towards achieving the aspirations of the people of the South for which huge ultimate sacrifices have been made, saluting the southern armed forces and their legendary steadfastness in confronting and defeating the Houthi militias and terrorist groups, lauding the people’s sterling will in the face of the service and economic war, and urging on reaching national alignment at this critical stage, calling for the completion of what the Southern National Dialogue Committee began towards accomplishing the tasks within the framework of the independence of the South for all its people.

Major General Saleh Zangul, head of the Supreme Military Commission of the Southern Army and Security, gave a speech about the Military Commission in which he summarized the phases of the struggle of the people of the South from the British occupation to the recent moment, pointing out that the people of the South had declared their October Revolution against the British military presence in all the villages and cities of the South until this led to the exit of the colonizers from the land of the South and the declaration of the establishment of their fledgling state of the South.

Major General Zanqal asserted that the call of President Aidarous bin Qassem Al-Zubaidi on the unification of all revolutionary forces was tantamount to salvation for southerners from the diaspora and countries of their destination, indicating that the southern revolution had entered a new era with the announcement of the STC on May 4, 2017, and explaining that the Council remained keen on unity of the southern ranks with all their national forces and the body of the southern national partnership, referring to the southern consultative meeting and the signing of the national charter, which is considered a national turning point that brought together all the southern components.

Ms. Na'ama Al-Seili had spoken about the fighters of the glorious October Revolution, through which she explained that the 14 October Revolution was the culmination of the struggle of the people of the South against the British occupiers, continuing that it was with patriotic and national horizons and came in conditions of rising revolutionary tide at the national and global levels.

Al-Seili confirmed that southern women were at the forefront, supported their male brothers in the organizational work of parties and organizations, and provided logistical work for the comrades in the struggle during the period of armed struggle, noting that southern women enjoyed a privileged position after independence and participated in establishing the pillars of the new state.

The festival event, which was opened with reciting verses from the Holy Qur’an, followed by the national anthem of the South, and standing a minute of mourning, included many lyrical songs and poems on the 60th anniversary of the glorious 14 October Revolution that acquired the approbation of all attendees, as a number of female activists from the South were honoured on this occasion with the Shield of Loyalty in appreciation and gratitude for their abundant struggle role in all stages of the southern national struggle.