Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Aryani lambasted the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a secessionist organization, for colluding with Iran-backed Houthis to weaken the internationally-recognized government headed by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
He accused STC followers of waging a campaign to target Hadi’s government and said that it coincided with “political movements of Houthi leaders.”
Defending Hadi, Aryani went on to say that the president’s priorities are to “preserve the state and its institutions and the unity of the Yemeni territories.”
“This (unity) is what Hadi fought for in the capital Sanaa and did not give up or abandon despite his siege and Houthis targeting his life.”
STC followers had accused Hadi’s government of corruption.
The exchange of accusations between the government and the STC comes in light of escalating security tensions in the provinces of Abyan, Shabwa, and Socotra.
Aryani’s statements coincide with calls by the UAE on the (STC) to pursue wisdom and leniency so that the Jeddah dialogue for peace finds success.
The UAE said on Sunday that it supported Saudi Arabia’s efforts to unite Yemen’s southern separatists and the internationally recognized Yemeni government in fighting the Houthis.
Talks between the government and the STC started last month in Jeddah as Saudi Arabia pushes to end recent fighting in Yemen’s southern provinces.
“We fully support Saudi Arabia's significant efforts in carrying out negotiations in Jeddah to confront the Houthi coup,” the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter.
“It is necessary for both sides to show flexibility and wisdom. More importantly, matters should not return to the previous situation, but there should be a stronger and more solid front,” he added.
Similarly, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, in a tweet, urged unity against the sectarian and destructive Iranian project and to put Yemen’s peace, stability, and prosperity first.