Yemen’s internationally recognized government has announced the recovery of the country’s southern and eastern regions from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). On Saturday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), said government forces had regained control of two key provinces and now hold full authority over southern Yemen. He specifically assured citizens that Hadramaut and Al-Mahra provinces had been restored under government control.

Al-Alimi added that former STC members have been invited to Riyadh for discussions on Yemen’s future and that all military forces will now operate under the Saudi-led coalition’s command. His statement followed a Saudi-supported campaign in late December that expelled STC forces from Hadramaut and Al-Mahra, two provinces bordering Saudi Arabia and comprising nearly half of Yemen’s territory.

Meanwhile, thousands of STC supporters rallied in the group’s stronghold of Aden, particularly in Khor Maksar district, chanting slogans against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government.