17 Yemeni parties praise Saudi Arabia's stance on the southern issue and Hadramawt
Seventeen Yemeni political parties and groups expressed their full support and high appreciation for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s firm stance on the southern issue, describing it as a just cause with deep historical and social dimensions, while stressing the need to maintain stability in the eastern governorates.
Welcoming the Saudi statement and containing the escalation
In a joint statement carried by the official Yemeni news agency (SABA), political forces welcomed the Saudi Foreign Ministry's statement, which included a clear and explicit call for de-escalation in the Hadramawt and Al-Mahra governorates. The parties stressed the necessity of restoring order by the Southern Transitional Council forces returning to their previous barracks outside the two governorates and withdrawing immediately according to organized security and military arrangements under the direct supervision of the Saudi-led coalition supporting the legitimate government.
The parties considered this Saudi position to be “the essence of the required approach” at this sensitive stage, and the correct approach to defusing tension and preventing the imposition of a fait accompli policy by military force, which directly contributes to restoring security and social peace, and protects the legal status of the Republic of Yemen and its institutions.
The context of the southern issue and political references
This stance comes at a time of intense political and military tensions in Yemen, where the Southern issue is a central element in any future political settlement. Political factions emphasize that a just solution to this issue must be achieved through dialogue and consensus, based on the outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue, the Riyadh Agreement sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to bridge the divide between Yemeni factions, and the declaration on the transfer of power that established the Presidential Leadership Council.
The parties pointed out that unilateral practices and military mobilization do not serve the justice of the southern cause, but may harm its political gains and drag it into side conflicts that isolate it from its regional and international environment, and exclude it from the entitlements of comprehensive peace.
The importance of stability in liberated areas
This party consensus is of paramount importance given the strategic location of Hadramawt and Al-Mahra governorates, which constitute Yemen's strategic and economic heartland. Observers warn that any escalation in these areas could divert the Presidential Leadership Council's efforts to address economic and livelihood challenges, in addition to negatively impacting the main battle to restore the state.
The statement reiterated the parties’ full support for the Presidential Leadership Council’s efforts to contain the situation, calling on the Transitional Council to use reason and respond to regional and local calls to create an atmosphere conducive to a comprehensive political solution that guarantees the security, stability and unity of Yemen.
Parties that signed the statement
It is worth noting that the list of signatory parties and components included a wide spectrum of the Yemeni political landscape, namely: the General People’s Congress, the Yemeni Islah Gathering, the Nasserist Popular Unity Organization, the Southern Peaceful Movement, the Yemeni Rashad Party, the Justice and Construction Party, the Southern National Coalition, the Renaissance Movement for Peaceful Change, the National Solidarity Party, the Yemeni Unity Gathering Party, the Union of Popular Forces, the Peace and Development Party, the Arab Socialist Baath Party, the Hadhramaut National Council, the Arab Socialist Baath Party, the Shabwa National General Council, and the Republican Party.
