Aden (South24)

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the Political Bureau of the National Resistance held a remarkable meeting Monday to discuss coordination on shared issues, according to information released by official media outlets affiliated with the two parties.

The STC’s official website stated that its president, Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, met with Tariq Saleh, head of the Political Bureau of the National Resistance, alongside senior officials from both organizations.

"The meeting discussed means of cooperation and joint coordination in a manner that enhances the efforts to confront the Houthi militias, terrorists, and extremist groups in all forms," the statement added.

The Tariq Saleh-affiliated news agency ‘December 2’ reported that the two sides agreed on the need to form a communication and coordination committee between the STC and the Political Bureau of the National Resistance.

ترأس نائبا رئيس مجلس القيادة الرئاسي طارق صالح وعيدروس الزُّبيدي، اجتماعًا مشتركًا للمكتب السياسي للمقاومة الوطنية والمجلس الانتقالي الجنوبي.

بحث اللقاء سبل التعاون والتنسيق المشترك؛ بما يعزز الجهود المبذولة لمواجهة مليشيات الحوثيين وجماعات الإرهاب والتطرف بمختلف أشكاله.

وأكد… pic.twitter.com/ClftzfpkYT

— وكالة 2 ديسمبر الإخبارية (@2decnews) September 16, 2024

Although official statements did not specify the meeting’s location, an informed source told South24 Center that it likely took place in Abu Dhabi.

This marks the most significant meeting between the STC and the National Resistance. Al-Zubaidi and Saleh have both been members of the Presidential Leadership Council since April 2022.

Following the killing of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh by the Houthis in December 2017, his nephew, Tariq Saleh, fled to Aden, the STC stronghold.

Despite Tariq Saleh’s prior support for the Houthis in 2015, the STC provided him with protection, allowing him to regroup remnants of the Republican Guard and seek revenge on the Houthis.

Tariq relocated to Mokha on the west coast to combat the Houthis alongside the Southern Giants Brigades.

In February 2021, he established the Political Bureau of the National Resistance, the political arm of the Republican Guard forces on the west coast.

Both the STC and the National Resistance share the United Arab Emirates as a key ally, a factor contributing to their growing rapprochement.