The release of journalists from Houthi prisons in April has given the government the opportunity to vaunt its commitment to human rights, specifically the cause of press freedom. Four of the prisoners – Tawfiq al-Mansouri, Abdelkhaliq Amran, Al-Harith Hamid, and Akram al-Walidi – were sentenced to death by Houthi authorities on charges of spying for the Saudi-led coalition. Presidential Leadership…

Houthi authorities banned the sale of domestic gas cylinders from Safer in Marib during the last week of May. The heavily populated regions in the north will now be exclusively supplied with imported cooking gas through the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah. The decision will further economically undermine the government, already deprived of its main source of revenue following Houthi drone…

Tensions appear to be rising again in Hadramawt, as the PLC-backed Nation’s Shield forces increase their presence in the governorate. On May 5, Governor Mabkhout bin Madi met with senior military leaders in Seyoun to discuss security at the Al-Wadea border crossing with Saudi Arabia. On May 7, the commander of the Nation’s Shield forces, Bashir al-Madrabi, arrived in Hadramawt…

Political news in May was dominated by the reorganization and resurgence of the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Seemingly sidelined by the Saudi-Houthi talks and the Kingdom’s support of Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief Rashad al-Alimi, the Emirati-backed group extended its influence through the recruitment of powerful politicians, an internal reorganization, and a conference resulting in a new ‘Southern National Charter.’…

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced a major reorganization on May 8, recruiting several key members of the internationally recognized government. Southern leaders then convened for the Southern Consultative Meeting in Aden, the largest such regional gathering since 1990. Nearly 300 representatives attended the four-day event, although several influential southern factions, including the Hadramawt Inclusive Conference and the National Conference…

Saudi-Houthi talks in Sana’a during Ramadan failed to produce a final agreement on a roadmap for final status peace talks and a permanent ceasefire. Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) leaders in Riyadh were left out of the loop although the Saudis continued to insist that the Houthis co-sign any deal with the internationally recognized government. A major prisoner exchange took place…