Aden (South24) 

A senior official of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has criticized the performance of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), and accused PLC Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi of monopolizing decision-making and appointments.

Head of the STC political body, Nasser Al-Khobaji, made these statements on Sunday, at the Yemen International Forum, organized by the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies in Amman, Jordan, from February 16-18.

Al-Khobaji said: "The PLC is incapable and failed. The PLC has not been able to determine the legal regulations for its work, or define its relationship with the government and local authorities, to this day, after three years of its formation."

"There is a conflict today between the PLC Chairman and the Prime Minister (Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak). This has led to the disruption of everything," he added in his comments.

The STC official said the PLC does not have a vision for dealing with the Houthis at the military, economic, and political levels. He pointed to the disruption of the "negotiating team" of the PLC during the past years.

"The PLC Chairman, Rashad Al-Alimi, is the one who controls all decisions and takes them unilaterally," Al-Khobaji said. "Among them is the recent decision to appoint the Yemeni ambassador to Germany".

The Southern official admitted that the services and economic crisis have harmed the popular activities of the STC.

He said that the Southern governorates need a development-oriented government, while the areas not controlled by the Houthis in Marib and Taiz in North Yemen need a war government due to the threats of the Houthis.

Al-Khobaji's statements come amid a major economic and services crisis in South Yemen and areas controlled by the Internationally Recognized Government.

Meanwhile, an informed source told the ‘South24 Center’ that all members of the Yemeni PLC have arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to hold meetings to discuss changes in the government and other files.

Nasser Al-Khobaji is the head of the STC Negotiations Unit and led the team during the Riyadh Agreement in November 2019.