Shabwa (south24)

Thousands of people from Shabwa Governorate, South Yemen, demonstrated on Thursday morning, to declare their support for the Southern Transitional Council, which calls for the South Yemen`s independence and the return of the former southern state.

The demonstrators gathered in a large square in the Al-Musainah district. They came from different directorates in Shabwa.

Demonstrators in Shabwa, Thursday 03.09.2020, waving flags of the former South Yemen country (activists)

An STC official told "South24" that the security authorities of the Yemeni government and controlled by the Islah party prevented thousands of participants from reaching the district, which witnessed the festival.

"The event had succeeded strongly, despite the acts of repression, prevention and the detention of delegations", Salem Al-Awlaki, a member of the STC Presidium, said.

The Transitional Council is currently holding consultations with President Hadi's group in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the aim of forming a 50/50 government between the north and south.

Demonstrators in Shabwa, Thursday 03.09.2020, ascend a mountain overlooking the event square (activists)

On August 26, the STC announced its suspension of consultations due to the continued military attack on its forces in Abyan, the arrival of al-Qaeda and ISIS members to the governorate, the deterioration of services and the lack of payment of salaries for employees, according to a statement by the council.

- south24