Aden (South24)

Tens of thousands of residents of South Yemen took to the streets on Friday (January 16) in Aden’s Khor Maksar district, reaffirming their demand for an independent state in response to a call by Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

Organizers said the rally aimed to reaffirm support for the STC’s Political Declaration issued on January 2, which called for a transitional period in South Yemen culminating in a popular referendum to restore the Southern state.

#BREAKING
Video shows unprecedented protest in Aden reaffirming Southern independence, rejecting what demonstrators called “Al-Alimi’s legitimacy”#south24pic.twitter.com/UmCUP9WnCT

— South24 | English (@South24E) January 16, 2026

Protesters raised slogans in support of the STC and its president, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi. The crowds also chanted against Rashad Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), rejecting any claim to legitimacy for him inside the South.

Demonstrators also denounced the announcement of the “dissolution of the Council” delivered by a southern delegation that traveled to Riyadh on January 7 to take part in the Saudi-sponsored Southern Dialogue.

Security authorities deployed forces extensively across the city and at its entrances.

Protesters told South24 that Saudi-backed Nation Shield Forces attempted to block the road for demonstrators arriving from Lahj, north of Aden. Some said a member of the force fired shots into the air before the unit withdrew, allowing protesters to enter the city.

Participants described the rally as a de facto popular referendum, reflecting the will of the people of South Yemen.

Hours after the rally, Al-Zubaidi said in a statement posted on his Facebook page that “the South has entered a new phase titled unity of ranks and imposing the popular will on the regional and international table.”

He added that “Aden’s million-man rally is a decisive message affirming the South’s adherence to the Political Declaration and the Constitutional Declaration,” stressing: “We will no longer accept any solutions that diminish our right or impose upon us an unacceptable reality.”

Faraj Al-Bahsani, Vice President of the Southern Transitional Council, said: “Today’s mass gathering in Aden is a message to everyone that there can be no stability in the South without respecting the will of its people and yielding to their free voice.”

The rally came just hours after President Rashad Al-Alimi dismissed Faraj Al-Bahsani from the Presidential Leadership Council. Al-Bahsani is currently in the United Arab Emirates for medical treatment.

Responding to the decision, Al-Bahsani said: “Stripping me of my membership empties the Presidential Leadership Council of its consensual substance and turns it into a tool for settling political disputes.”

Al-Alimi—one of eight members of the Council formed under the April 2022 Transfer of Power Declaration—also issued a decision appointing Mahmoud Al-Subaihi (from Lahj) and Salem Al-Khanbashi (from Hadramout) as members of the Presidential Leadership Council, replacing Maj. Gen. Aidarous Al-Zubaidi and Maj. Gen. Faraj Al-Bahsani.

Al-Alimi further announced the dismissal of former Prime Minister Salem bin Breik and the appointment of Yemeni Foreign Minister Shaya’a Al-Zindani as Prime Minister, tasking him with forming a new government.

SABA news agency said the current government will continue in a caretaker capacity until the new cabinet is formed.

On Thursday, the coastal city of Mukalla in Hadramout also witnessed a mass rally called for by the Southern Transitional Council. Protesters told South24 they renewed their support for the STC and its president, Maj. Gen. Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.

#BREAKING

South24 Video: A mass rally in Mukalla, Hadramout, to support the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and reject the decision to dissolve it from Riyadh #south24 pic.twitter.com/pepnbFHMar

— South24 | English (@South24E) January 15, 2026

Saudi Support

Saudi Arabia has announced its support for sponsoring a Southern Dialogue on the Southern Cause in Riyadh. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said the Kingdom backs the Riyadh Conference, “through which we seek to bring together our brothers from the South to develop a comprehensive vision for just solutions that meet their will and aspirations.”

Bin Salman said the Kingdom will form a preparatory committee, in consultation with southern figures, to prepare for the conference, which will include southern representatives from all governorates of the South “without exclusion or discrimination.”

He added: “The Kingdom will support the outcomes of the conference so they can be placed on the table of the comprehensive political settlement dialogue in Yemen.”

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber told Al Arabiya on Friday that “all options are on the table” in the Riyadh Southern Dialogue.

The Kingdom also announced a $1.9 billion development package for Yemen across several governorates, including Aden, Lahj, Al-Dhalea, Abyan, Shabwa, Hadramout, Al-Mahra, and Socotra.

Ambassador Al-Jaber said Saudi Arabia has provided “new support to the Yemeni government’s budget to pay the salaries of state employees in all sectors.”

He added that salaries for all military and security forces affiliated with the Supreme Military Committee will be paid by the Saudi-led Coalition starting next Sunday.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and the Southern Transitional Council reached their lowest point as southern forces advanced toward Hadramout and Al-Mahra. Riyadh demanded the STC withdraw its forces before launching intense airstrikes on positions of some military units in the two governorates, killing and wounding dozens.

Saudi aircraft also struck Al-Zubaidi’s hometown of Zubaid in Al-Dhalea governorate hours after he declined to travel to Riyadh for talks on the crisis. Several civilians were killed and wounded in the attack.

Observers attribute Saudi Arabia’s stance in Hadramout and Al-Mahra to the nature of the latent struggle between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over influence in the region.

The Saudi strikes sparked widespread anger among southern residents, particularly as they came from a country long regarded by southerners as a key ally.

By supporting and sponsoring the Southern Dialogue, Saudi Arabia is seeking to send reassuring messages to the southern street to contain this anger and fill the vacuum left by the United Arab Emirates.

The southern street is awaiting the outcomes of the Riyadh Conference, which are expected to shape the contours of the next phase for all parties.

The Southern Cause at the Security Council

On Wednesday, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said the future of the South cannot be determined by any single party or imposed by force, stressing that an inclusive political dialogue is essential to relaunch a UN-led peace process.

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, Grundberg said recent developments in Yemen have “reshaped the key political and security dynamics.” He emphasized that addressing the Southern Cause—“complex and long-rooted”—ultimately rests with Yemenis themselves, including the full diversity of southern perspectives.

Grundberg said the Riyadh Southern Dialogue offers “an opportunity to begin addressing the Southern Cause through political participation.”

He noted that the dialogue underscores the importance of comprehensive internal consultations to build consensus and prepare for a UN-sponsored, country-wide political process.

He warned that without a comprehensive approach that addresses Yemen’s multiple challenges in an integrated manner—rather than in isolation—the risk of recurring cycles of instability will remain a defining feature of the country’s trajectory.