Yemen’s Separatists Announce a Constitution for an Independent South

Members of the security forces man a checkpoint in Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based, on December 31, 2025. Saudi Arabia welcomes the UAE’s troop withdrawal in Yemen but tensions will remain while Abu Dhabi backs separatists there, a source close to the Saudi government told AFP on December 31, 2025. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council’s forces have swept through divided Yemen’s government-run areas this month, seizing much of resource-rich Hadramawt bordering Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Mahra province. (Photo by Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Yemen’s separatist movement has announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south and demanded other factions in the war-torn country accept the move. The announcement Friday marked an escalation of a confrontation that has pitted Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against each other. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council depicted the announcement as a declaration of independence for the south. But it was not immediately clear if the move could be implemented or was largely symbolic. The STC’s seizure last month of two provinces in southern Yemen has prompted airstrikes from Saudi Arabia, threatening to unravel the coalition that has been fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels.