Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) is against the incorporation of their armed groups into government forces, using the security issue to blackmail the government, Yemeni Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali Heydan told Sputnik on Thursday
SEIYUN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2021) Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) is against the incorporation of their armed groups into government forces, using the security issue to blackmail the government, Yemeni Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali Heydan told Sputnik on Thursday.
"The brothers from the Transitional Council did not agree to fulfill the commitments of the Riyadh Agreement concluded between us in 2020. They believe that if the units affiliated with the council are included in the internal affairs or defense ministry, the significance of the council will be lost. The members of the council are holding talks with the government on other political and economic matters, but using security and military issues as a means of putting pressure on the government if it does not fulfill what external forces demand they do," the minister said.
The official also stated that the only way to establish security in the territories under STC control is to observe security and military agreements, stipulating the incorporation of all military STC units into the Yemeni internal ministry.
The Riyadh Agreement was signed on November 5, 2019 between the Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) and the United Arab Emirates-backed STC. The agreement involved several political, security and economic provisions, such as the establishment of a new government which includes the STC, the disarmament and integration of military units under the interior affairs and defense ministries, support of the Yemeni economy, as well as the demilitarization of Aden.
In the summer of 2019, the STC took control of security in South Yemen. Its member groups supported the disintegration of Yemen into two independent states and were supported by UAE funding. The agreements concluded with the mediation of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh at the end of 2020 have not been fulfilled.
