Political Declaration Statement Issued by the Southern Transitional Council

Political Declaration Statement Issued by the Southern Transitional Council

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) commends the achievements and gains made by the people of the South in assuming responsibility for securing and managing their areas, ending security threats, smuggling, terrorism, and the state of chaos, and stopping the plunder of their resources. These steps represent a responsible move towards realizing these people's aspirations to restore and declare their state, which will be a solid shield and a sincere ally to its surroundings and neighborhood.

These massive mass rallies across the South reflect unity of ranks and the common aspirations of all for a more stable future in which the people of the South realize their hopes and aspirations for security, prosperity, development, and construction.

Driven by the envisioned and sterling will of our people of the South to restore and declare their state, relying on the popular mandate and national responsibility and the statements and positions issued by the elites and leaders of the state, government, and local authorities in the governorates of the South, and in recognition of the magnitude of the risks surrounding the existing political partnership in general and the South in particular, and to avoid further conflicts and divisions.

We announce the start of a two-year transitional phase, and call on the international community to sponsor a dialogue between the concerned parties in the South and the North on a path and mechanisms that guarantee the right of the people of the South within the specified timeframe, accompanied by organizing a popular referendum to exercise the right of self-determination for the people of the South through peaceful, transparent mechanisms consistent with established international rules and norms and with the participation of international observers.

Furthermore, the STC calls, during the transitional phase and prior to it, on all state institutions, bodies, the government, and local authorities to carry out their work and perform their duties in normalizing life, improving conditions and public services, and ensuring the regular disbursement of salaries by organizing a mechanism for revenue collection at the Central Bank in the capital, Aden, as an independent central authority. The STC extends its hand to determine appropriate steps and mechanisms based on common ground with all national forces in the North.

The STC proceeds from a firm conviction that realizing the aspirations of the people of the South to restore their state must be achieved through a safe and responsible phased path, which preserves the South's legitimate right, spares the North and the region the cost of new conflicts, and allows for the rearrangement of political and institutional situations on just and balanced foundations.

In this context, the STC emphasizes that this declaration realizes the aspirations of the people of the South in a gradual and safe manner, provides the North with a stable and responsible partner during the transitional phase, and presents the region and the international community with a clear political and legal path that can be supported and built upon.

The STC also reaffirms that realizing the aspirations of the people of the South will remain the core and spirit of this declaration, and it does not view these aspirations as a concession but as an expression of the sterling will of a people who have made ultimate sacrifices and deserve a legal path leading to their right without exposing their security and stability to additional risks that threaten peace and security in the region.

The STC reiterates that the South, during the transitional phase, will remain a support for its partners in the North, backing any effort aimed at confronting the coup, rebuilding state institutions, and achieving security and stability, serving shared interests, and preserving regional security.

In conclusion, the STC affirms that this phase represents an open political ground and renews its call to all components and political forces, without exception, to engage in constructive and responsible dialogue to discuss, enrich, and develop this phase. This dialogue should be based on clear principles, at the heart of which is: mutual recognition of key issues, principally the cause of the South and its people's right to self-determination; commitment to peaceful and consensual solutions and rejection of imposing realities by force; respect for popular will and the outcomes of any agreed-upon consensual path; and ensuring that the dialogue is part of a serious, time-bound political process, not a tool for crisis management or prolongation, to guarantee reaching an agreement that secures rights, ends the state of deadlock, and opens a new horizon for a just and sustainable political and legal solution consistent with the interests of the South and the North.

While the STC reiterates its affirmation that it extends its hand to all parties and stakeholders for serious and responsible understanding, it simultaneously confirms that the transitional phase ends within two years from this date and that a constitutional declaration for the restoration of the state of the South has been approved, which will be announced today, and its implementation will begin on Sunday, 2 January 2028.

The STC stresses that this constitutional declaration shall come into immediate and direct effect prior to that date if the call is not responded to or if the people of the South, their land, or their forces are subjected to any military attack. It affirms that all options remain available, foremost among them this path, unless its demands are seriously taken into consideration within the outlined framework called for by the STC, consistent with the specified timeframe and with the participation of the concerned parties and the international community.

Issued by: The Southern Transitional Council (STC)

Friday, 2 January 2026 - The Capital, Aden