Aden (South24 Center)

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday (January 10) at Al-Aroud Square in the Khormaksar district of the capital, Aden, in a massive demonstration rejecting the declaration to dissolve the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which was issued from the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The South24 correspondent reported that crowds began flocking to Al-Aroud Square from the early morning hours, arriving from various districts of Aden and neighboring governorates. 

#عاجل |
شاهد: تصوير جوي للفعالية الحاشدة في ساحة العروض بالعاصمة عدن لتأييد المجلس الانتقالي الجنوبي ورفض إعلان حله من الرياض#south24 pic.twitter.com/p56r4oQ7u3

— South24 | عربي (@South24_net) January 10, 2026

Protesters chanted slogans rejecting the dissolution or dismantling of the Council, reaffirming their popular mandate for its president, Major General Aidrous Al-Zubaidi. Other slogans attacked the President of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Rashad Al-Alimi, accusing him of supporting "terrorism“. Participants also voiced sharp criticism of the Saudi role in the recent political and military developments in the South.

Participants carried flags of the South Yemen state and portraits of Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, chanting: "With our soul, with our blood, we sacrifice for you South." 

This national slogan is rooted in the Southern Movement (Al-Hirak) which began in 2007 to demand independence following the failure of the Yemeni union and the 1994 war.

This mobilization comes amid unprecedented political tension in the South, following an announcement by leaders in Riyadh on Friday regarding the dissolution of the STC and all its bodies, in preparation for a Riyadh-sponsored Southern dialogue.

The rally coincided with a joint statement issued by the STC's primary bodies, the National Assembly, the Council of Advisors, and the General Secretariat, following an extraordinary emergency meeting in Aden. 

The statement declared the "dissolution decision" null and void, describing it as a blatant and unprecedented assault on a national political entity backed by a free popular will.

#عاجل |
شاهد عشرات الآلاف في عدن يجددون دعمهم لاستقلال جنوب اليمن#south24 pic.twitter.com/eKPjgT4MU7

— South24 | عربي (@South24_net) January 10, 2026

The statement noted that what occurred represents a "gross violation of the will of the people of the South and a direct threat to the foundations of the political process," warning of dangerous repercussions for stability, social peace, and the peace process.

The three bodies, representing the highest organizational and legislative authorities within the STC, emphasized that the dissolution declaration is "absolutely null and void and has no legal or political effect." They argued it was issued by an incompetent party lacking jurisdiction or authority and was made under "coercion and pressure."

The statement added that the delegation in Riyadh was mandated with specific negotiating tasks and lacked the authority to make fateful decisions affecting the Council's existence. It further characterized the detention of Council leaders, the confiscation of their documents and phones, and forcing them to issue statements as a "grave violation of international law and human rights conventions."

The STC bodies stressed that the Council remains fully legitimate, deriving its mandate from the popular will since the Aden Declaration in May 2017, and not from decisions imposed under coercive circumstances. The statement held Saudi Arabia responsible for what it called a "dangerous deviation" from its role as a sponsor of South-South dialogue, claiming recent measures serve the agendas of traditional Yemeni powers.

#عاجل |

فيديو لمركز سوث24: الجماهير الجنوبية في ساحة العروض بالعاصمة عدن تهتف "بالروح بالدم نفديك يا جنوب"#south24 pic.twitter.com/wzu28e5YwA

— South24 | عربي (@South24_net) January 10, 2026

The bodies confirmed that all STC institutions would continue their work without interruption, asserting that fateful decisions can only be made through competent constitutional bodies chaired by President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi.

Previously, STC leaders in Riyadh had announced the dissolution of the Council and its offices at home and abroad. The statement was read by the Council's Secretary-General, Abdulrahman Al-Subaihi, and broadcast on the official Yemen TV channel in the absence of President Al-Zubaidi, who Saudi authorities stated had arrived in Abu Dhabi.

The leaders, justifying the dissolution, claimed the Council's existence "no longer serves the purpose for which it was founded," calling on Southerners to join a comprehensive dialogue conference in Riyadh.

In response, STC spokesperson Anwar Al-Tamimi stated that any decisions regarding the Council can only be taken through its full bodies under the President's leadership, noting that any official position would be announced following the release of the Council's detained delegation in Riyadh.

Observers believe the massive turnout at Al-Aroud Square reflects the scale of South popular rejection of the dissolution decision, confirming that the South public remains a decisive factor in the South issue, rejecting arrangements imposed from abroad without internal consensus or mandate.