ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's presidency on Sunday strongly rejected statements by ministers and government bodies based in the southern port city of Aden that expressed support for the pro-secession Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Citing a source in the presidency, the state-run Saba news agency said Rashad Al-Alimi, chief of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), had reviewed recent statements by ministers and other officials that "exceeded their functional responsibilities" and ran counter to the constitution and the agreed references governing the transitional period.
The source warned that the use of official positions to advance political agendas outside the constitutional framework constitutes a serious violation of the law.
The PLC's chief directed the government and relevant authorities to take "all necessary legal and administrative measures" against any actions undermining unified decision-making or seeking to impose policies outside the constitutional and legal framework, according to the source.
The PLC's chief's remarks followed earlier statements by several Aden-based ministries and government bodies expressing support for the STC and its recent military expansion in the country's eastern regions.
The Ministry of Civil Service and Insurance said in a statement that it supports "the aspirations of the people of the South to implement their will," calling on the international community and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to respect these aspirations more than three decades after Yemen's unification. Senior government officials, including deputy ministers, also voiced support for the STC while pledging to continue administrative duties without interruption.
The developments highlight widening divisions within Yemen's power-sharing government after the STC expanded its military presence earlier this month in the eastern provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah. The PLC described the moves as "unilateral and illegitimate", calling for an immediate withdrawal, a demand rejected by the STC.
Although the STC is formally part of the UN-recognized Yemeni government, it continues to advocate for the secession of southern Yemen. Founded in 2017, the council seeks to restore an independent southern state, reversing the 1990 unification of the former North and South Yemen.
Yemen has remained mired in conflict since 2014, when Houthi militants seized control of the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally-recognized government. ■
