Yemen's parliament ordered the establishment of several committees to investigate the Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) recent capture of Socotra and the Iran-backed Houthis’ capture of Radman.
Meanwhile, STC supporters staged Monday a rally in the city of al-Mukalla, calling for self-rule in the southeastern governorate of Hadramout.
The protesters slammed the deteriorating services in the province, especially electricity, accusing the legitimate "corrupt" government of “looting” exports.
The protesters demanded the establishment of an autonomous authority in the province, whose priority would be ceasing oil exports, resolving energy problems, paying the salaries of soldiers and deploying so-called “elite Hadramout forces” in the Wadi Hadramout area where legitimate forces are deployed.
The demonstrations raised fears that the conflict between the legitimacy and STC would deepen, especially after the government lost control over state institutions on the Socotra archipelago, and earlier in Aden and some parts of Abyan.
STC spokesman Nizar Haitham said that STC acting chairman General Ahmed Saeed bin Boraik issued an order to appoint Raafat Ali Ibrahim as head of the self-administration in the Socotra governorate.
With the STC seizing Socotra, drawing the legitimate government’s condemnation, official sources said that parliament approved the formation of a fact-finding committee over the developments on the archipelago.
The committee will probe recent attacks on state institutions on Socotra and how the STC managed to seize them. It will also probe the Houthis’ seizing of the Hojour region, Nihm, al-Jawf and Radman areas.
Informed Yemeni sources revealed that Industry and Trade Minister Mohammed al-Maytami submitted his resignation over the legitimacy’s loss of Socotra.
