Yemeni southern separatists in Riyadh announce disputed disbanding of STC

Yemen’s main southern separatists have decided to disband following talks in Saudi Arabia, the secretary-general of the organisation has said, although the announcement was dismissed by its spokesman, who called it “ridiculous”. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) Secretary-General Abdulrahman Jalal al-Subaihi said in a broadcast on Yemeni television on Friday that the dissolution of the group was taken to preserve peace and security in the south and in neighbouring countries. He praised “the measures taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the solutions it has provided that meet the needs of the people of the South”.