STC

Women’s political participation in Yemen is declining. It is also taking place within a political system that is increasingly fragmented, informal, and dependent on closed power-sharing arrangements. Before the outbreak of the current conflict, the institutional pathways through which women could build political experience and advance into leadership roles were already limited. Today, these pathways have narrowed further, as political…

Reconciliation is usually tackled in the aftermath of a settlement of violent conflict – during the transition from violence to peace. The International Center for Transitional Justice defines reconciliation as “a complex set of processes that involve building or rebuilding relationships, often in the aftermath of massive and widespread human rights violations.” However, in scenarios of protracted conflict – as…

The December incursion of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) into eastern Yemen appeared at first to be a resounding success for the UAE-backed secessionist movement. It was accompanied by triumphal pronouncements in southern media about the imminent resurrection of a southern state. But the rapid advance into the oil-rich hinterland, displacing pro-government and tribal forces, quickly unraveled in the face…

Following the dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the UAE’s sudden withdrawal from Yemen in early January, the country’s southern security architecture has undergone significant upheaval in the first quarter of 2026. In the three months since the STC withdrew troops and heavy weaponry from Al-Ma’ashiq Palace, Saudi Arabia has quickly moved to fill the resulting power vacuum,…

Three weeks after Prime Minister Shayea al-Zindani was tasked with forming a government, a notably large cabinet was announced, comprising 35 ministers, including eight ministers of state (see full list and bios below). Since the start of the war, Yemen has seen successive changes in the premiership without corresponding changes in the government, and the formation of quota-based cabinets in…

Recent developments in Yemen have broken years of stagnation, bringing the country into an explosive new era. The Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) initial expansion into the eastern governorates, and its subsequent loss of territory and dissolution under Saudi pressure, have revealed the fragility of the Gulf powers’ “containment” approach to Yemen. This strategy, which has traditionally relied on sharing influence…

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates predate the recent confrontation in Hadramawt, stemming from a deeper rift that was already apparent at the start of the coalition’s campaign in Yemen. From the outset, the two powers pursued distinct goals, influenced by broader economic ambitions and long-standing strategic competition that extended well beyond Yemen’s borders. The friction between…

Yemen’s economy remains under severe strain, with its real GDP projected to decline by 1.5 percent in 2025. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 61 percent of surveyed households in the country struggled to meet their minimum food needs in November. Of this group, 35 percent were facing severe food insecurity. Inadequate food consumption affected 63 percent of households…

The drastic decision to dissolve the Southern Transitional Council (STC) raised fears that Yemen would fall into a familiar cycle: defeat and marginalization of an important constituent of the political body, producing long-lasting, deeply held grievances. One such cycle started immediately after Southern independence. The defeat and banishment of the Front for the Liberation of South Yemen (FLOSY) in 1967…

Since 2016, bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have experienced periods of acute tension in Yemen. Previously, these tensions never went past managed competition. Both states preserved areas of joint cooperation, avoided crossing one another’s red lines, and kept open lines of dialogue following every round of escalation or attempt to assert influence…