Lahj (South24 Center)

On Thursday, February 5, a large crowd assembled in the Radfan area of Lahj governorate for a rally called by the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Attendees expressed their continued support for efforts to reestablish the Southern state and confirmed their backing for the council's leadership.

According to a South24 correspondent at the scene, crowds began assembling early in the morning at Martyrs’ Square. The head of the STC in Radfan said that participants were “renewing their mandate for President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi,” stressing that the option of a Southern state is “firm and cannot be reversed.”

In the closing statement of the event, titled “Resilience and Defiance,” participants affirmed their commitment to “the right of the people of the South to restore their fully sovereign, independent federal state,” and renewed their mandate for the STC as the “popularly mandated political representative,” while rejecting what they described as attempts to bypass or dismantle the council.

The statement rejected a declaration issued by STC leaders based in Riyadh calling for the dissolution of the council, describing it as “null and illegitimate.” It also reaffirmed adherence to the political declaration and constitutional declaration issued on January 2, 2026, as the political reference framework.

#BREAKING
Tens of thousands of Southerners rally in #Radafan, rejecting measures undermining the STC and reaffirming commitment to restoring a fully sovereign South#south24pic.twitter.com/ksboaRPlzV

— South24 | English (@South24E) February 5, 2026

The statement stressed rejection of any political projects that do not meet the aspirations of southerners, called for the protection of the council’s institutions, including the headquarters of the National Assembly, and demanded the lifting of restrictions on the “Aden Independent” TV channel and the resumption of its broadcast.

Participants also warned against any steps targeting the Southern Armed Forces, considering that weakening them could threaten stability and affect international maritime security. They called on international organizations to intervene to protect what they described as the right of the people of the South to self-determination.

The statement included a call on Saudi Arabia to release former Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daari and to lift restrictions on the STC delegation, as well as a call on human rights organizations to document what it described as violations resulting from airstrikes that targeted southern forces in Hadramout, Al-Mahra, and Al-Dhalea.

Participants also condemned the attempted assassination of military commander Hamdi Shukri and called for heightened security readiness. They reaffirmed their rejection of the return of the head of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, or any northern leaders to the southern governorates, warning of escalatory options if this continues.

The head of the STC in Lahj, Waddah Al-Halmi, told South24 that the governorate’s leadership confirms its full mandate for Al-Zubaidi and the council, adding that the rally comes as part of efforts to “confront attempts to undermine the South’s achievements.”

The event comes amid escalating political tensions in South Yemen in recent weeks, following Saudi airstrikes that killed and wounded dozens of southern forces and their withdrawal from Hadramout, as well as the announcement from Riyadh on January 9 by some STC members calling for the council’s dissolution.

In a press briefing today, Amr Al-Beidh, the representative of the STC president for foreign affairs, said that the location of President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi “cannot be disclosed at this time for security reasons,” and affirmed that the council’s institutions and local leaderships in the governorates “continue to operate at full capacity.”

He added that the council supports any dialogue among southerners, noting that “the people of the South alone decide whether its outcomes are acceptable,” and stressed that any decision regarding the dissolution of the council “cannot come from outside.”