STC rebels seize Yemen's 2 largest oil-rich provinces
JAKARTA - The Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist group in Yemen continues to strengthen its grip on Hadramout and Mahra provinces bordering Oman.
Citing Anadolu, Monday, December 22, the STC rebels refused to withdraw their forces from the oil-rich areas after a call from the internationally recognized Yemeni government authorities.
On Sunday local time, the head of the STC National Assembly, Ali al-Kathiri, communicated via telecommunications video connection with officials from the office of the UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
Kathiri explained about the security and service conditions in Hadramaut.
According to the STC's website, Kathiri claimed that the province had experienced "normal stability" since STC forces took control of the Wadi and Desert regions on December 3.
He said there were no official reports of killings, kidnappings or unlawful acts, contrary to the allegations circulating.
Kathiri said STC plans to ban local residents from carrying weapons inside the city, citing what he described as an increase in commercial activity without interruption.
He said the main roads connecting Hadramaut to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Marib had stabilized after being secured.
Responding indirectly to the allegations of arbitrary arrests and forced disappearance of local residents after the STC came to power in Hadramout, Kathiri said there were no reports from residents regarding the allegations. He added that residents who left the province did so "without coercion."
The STC rebels seized power over military control in Hadramout since December 3, 2025.
The takeover came after STC was involved in clashes with the Hadramout Tribes Alliance and the First Military Region forces allied with the Yemeni government.
Four days later, STC forces expanded control over the Mahra province, which had previously been under government authority.
Furthermore, Kathiri answered the demand to withdraw STC forces from the Wadi area and Hadramaut Desert with the statement "unfounded".
According to him, STC has no problem with the National Guard or the Hadrami Elite Force, which he described as "the center of security for southern Yemen and counterterrorism."
The National Shield forces were formed in 2023 by a decision of the head of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi and are officially under his command, while the Hadrami Elite Forces are allied with the STC.
Hadramaut and Mahra are Yemen's largest provinces. The two provinces cover almost half of Yemen's land area - about 555,000 square kilometers - and have largely avoided direct fighting between government forces and the Houthi group for more than a decade.