Yemen: recognizing the South is the beginning of regional stability

Recently, the southern Arab governorates have been witnessing an unprecedented popular movement—both in its geographic reach and political depth—in which civilians are calling for the restoration of the State of South Arabia within its pre-1990 borders.

The movement has spread from Aden to Hadramaut and Socotra, and from Abyan to Shabwah, Al-Mahrah, Al-Dhalea, and Lahj, stressing that the South will not remain under occupation.

On Monday, 22 December 2025, ministers and officials in the government announced their support for calls by the Southern Transitional Council for southern Yemen to separate from the North, and expressed their backing for what they called the declaration of a “State of South Arabia.”

Their announcements appeared in written and video statements published by media outlets affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council and by accounts linked to it on social media.

Those endorsing the move included Abdul Nasser Al-Wali, Minister of Civil Service and Insurance; Mohammed Saeed Al-Zaouri, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor; Salem Al-Socotri, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth; as well as Salah Al-Aqel, Deputy Minister of Information.

In a video statement, Minister Abdul Nasser Al-Wali said: “The leadership of the Ministry of Civil Service and Insurance announces its full support for all decisions and directions of the leadership of the people of the South.” He added that these decisions—represented by President Aidarus Qasim Al-Zubaidi (head of the Southern Transitional Council and a member of the Presidential Leadership Council)—aim to “secure the Southerners’ right to establish their state.”

He continued: “We sincerely and freely call upon our brothers in the regional and international community to accept, understand, and respect the right of the people of the South to enforce their will.” He also stressed that the ministry would follow the STC leadership’s directives to carry out its national duties in serving citizens and enabling them to receive their legitimate rights in salaries, pensions, allowances, and settlements.

Ongoing movement

Separately, the Dutch parliament witnessed a gathering on 20 December 2025, organized by a large crowd of Southerners who expressed “full solidarity with the people of the South at home,” seeking to convey their voice to the world and to emphasize that Southerners abroad stand united with their people and their “just cause.”

Protesters said: “If the South had not been subjected to injustice and the stripping of rights, thousands of Southerners would not have been forced to live outside their country.” They stressed that the South had been a seized and occupied land, and that their demand today is to restore rights to their owners and enable Southerners to determine their own destiny.

They considered “unity of the Southern ranks at home and abroad” to be a safety valve for achieving this goal. They also addressed a message to Aidarus bin Qasim Al-Zubaidi, saying: “Forward, Aidarus… declare it a state,” echoing chants heard inside the South calling for declaring the Southern state and restoring sovereignty and legitimate rights.

In London, hundreds from the southern governorates held a demonstration calling for the independence of South Arabia, in a mass event organized by the Yemeni community residing in Britain.

Demonstrators raised South Arabian flags and chanted slogans reaffirming their commitment to the right of self-determination. They urged the international community to listen to what they described as the Southern street’s voice and a political cause that has remained unresolved for decades.

Decades of injustice

Since 1994, the South has suffered what the text describes as Yemeni occupation that has brought only destruction, poverty, and injustice—along with economic deterioration, lack of basic services, and insecurity—according to Abdullah Saeed Al-Qarwah.

He said this pushed the Southern people to hold sit-ins and peaceful demonstrations demanding the restoration of their right to self-determination and an end to an occupation that has lasted for decades. He added: “Independence is the only option for Southerners who have nothing left to lose. They have sacrificed blood and lives to regain their freedom and will not back down from their legitimate demands. The South will not remain merely subordinate governorates; it will become an independent, sovereign state and an effective regional partner.”

He described this as a call to “the international community, the Arab coalition, and all concerned parties: the South demands its legitimate right to independence—do not stand as an obstacle to its lawful ambitions. Independence is the solution and the only guarantee for the stability and security of the region.” He added that, amid delays in making decisive decisions, the Southern people are calling on the STC leadership to continue peaceful escalation and to urge the Arab coalition to support the independence project and not yield to pressure from Yemen’s internationally recognized authorities, whom he said seek to keep the South under their control.

The start of regional stability

Separately, Waddah bin Atiyah said that talking about restoring the Southern state cannot be separated from regional security and stability. He argued that Southern independence represents one of the most important strategic pillars for building a sustainable regional balance—one that serves the Kingdom’s rise and supports the ambitions of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Vision 2030, based on stability, development, drying up sources of chaos, and building partnerships founded on interests rather than blackmail.

He added that full Southern control over Hadramaut and Al-Mahrah is not a local detail or a passing administrative step, but rather a Southern popular will and a historic act that serves Arab and Gulf national security, protects international shipping lanes, closes gateways to smuggling and terrorism, and reshapes political geography in line with the requirements of stability. He said those who believe this does not serve Saudi Arabia “live outside reality.”

He continued: “Stability begins by empowering the land for its people. The returning Southern state is not a threat to anyone; it is a guarantee for everyone. A stable South—sovereign in its decisions and a sincere partner in its Arab environment—is a security pillar, not a burden, and a bridge for all toward a new phase of balance and prosperity across the region, including our brothers in the Republic of Yemen.”

He asserted that the South will not be handed over under the banner of Yemeni unity to mentalities shaped by a culture of predation and driven by a sense of entitlement to sovereignty over the Arabian Peninsula—forces he described as enemies of stability by nature.

For his part, Raed Al-Jahafi said that after decades of failure of the “unity” born on 22 May 1990, Yemen’s situation has reached the brink of collapse, driven by a war that has lasted ten years and continues, while the international community has failed to find even a minimal exit. He argued that Southern independence is no longer merely an option but the only way to save everyone: the unity project that promised prosperity turned into a factory of civil and sectarian conflicts, with North and South clashing over rival identities and conflicting interests.

He concluded that establishing an independent Southern state would reorder these balances: it would give the South economic sovereignty over its vital ports and oil wealth, while allowing the North to focus on its internal problems without the burden of the South. The result, he said, would be “dual stability”—two strong states, North and South, cooperating economically instead of fighting, and avoiding a shared collapse that is consuming all Yemeni resources—along with benefits for neighboring countries.