Aden (South24) 

Senior officials of trade unions and representatives of security and military authorities in South Yemen met in Aden on Tuesday to discuss escalating measures in response to the accelerating economic collapse and the worsening living conditions in the South.

The meeting was chaired by prominent officials of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), including Ali Abdullah Al-Kathiri, acting president of the STC, and Nasser Al-Khobaji, head of the political body and head of the negotiations affairs unit.

According to an official statement by the STC, the discussions focused on pressure strategies to motivate the government and the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) to take concrete steps to address the economic deterioration that has intensified in recent months.

During the meeting, Al-Kathiri stressed that “the STC supports citizens’ right to peaceful protest, but warned against attempts by hostile parties to exploit the popular anger to destabilize and implement subversive agendas.”

He added that the STC is committed to working with all parties to find solutions that alleviate the suffering of the Southern people, who live in miserable conditions.

For his part, Al-Khobaji pointed to the importance of coordination between the unions and the STC to ensure that the escalation measures planned are effective and peaceful. He said: “We stress the importance of protecting the southern political gains, especially in light of the growing international interest in the South Issue.”

As the meeting concluded, union representatives called on the Yemeni government to respond immediately to the crisis, noting that the continued economic deterioration threatens to have serious humanitarian and security repercussions.

Aden and other Southern governorates are experiencing a major economic and services crisis and rising food prices. The Yemeni riyal also reached its lowest value in history on November 14 at 2,060 riyals per US dollar.