Aden, Yemen – The “Steadfastness and Popular Escalation” million-person march in Aden issued its final statement today, Friday, warning against any actions or practices targeting the Southern Transitional Council.
The statement reads as follows:
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers,
and upon his family and companions, all of them.
This million-strong demonstration, at this important political and historical juncture,
represents a clear message to the interior, the region,
and the world, that the people of the South are united behind their just cause and their political leadership,
represented by the Southern Transitional Council, as the political and national bearer of the cause of the people of the South.
Text of the final statement
Therefore, the assembled masses announce the final statement of the Million-Man March of Steadfastness and Popular Escalation as follows:
1- To affirm that this million-strong demonstration represents a peaceful, civilized, and sophisticated expression of the free will of the people of the South,
and to renew the full popular mandate of President Commander Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi
and the Southern Transitional Council to lead the political and struggle phase until the national goals are achieved.
2- Firm adherence to the southern national goal of restoring the state of South Yemen with full sovereignty over
its land and recognized borders, and rejection of any formulas that detract from this goal.
3- Emphasizing that this million-strong demonstration embodies steadfastness and continuity in the path of the southern struggle, and rejects guardianship and foreign interventions,
and any dictates or political pressures that affect the independent southern national decision.
4- Emphasizing the right of the people of the South to peaceful struggle and organized popular escalation
by all legitimate mass means, while committing to maintaining peacefulness and protecting public and private property.
Incitement and defamation campaigns
5- Condemning and denouncing the campaigns of incitement, defamation and abuse targeting President Commander Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi and the leadership of the Southern Transitional Council,
and rejecting attempts to attach accusations of terrorism or corruption and others, considering them false claims that are rejected in their entirety.
6- Calling for a halt to the hostile media campaigns led by official and unofficial media outlets that are funded,
including Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels, and Yemeni channels broadcasting from Saudi territory.
7- Warning against any actions or practices that aim to dismantle the Southern Transitional Council, undermine its leaders, or confiscate its headquarters, offices, and branches,
and stressing that any targeting of it represents a direct targeting of the will of the people of the South.
8- Rejecting any political solutions or outcomes resulting from dialogues or conferences that lack free will, diminish the aspirations of the people of the South,
compromise its geographical unity, or reproduce failed formulas that have been superseded by reality.
Solidarity with the Transitional Council
9- Declaring full solidarity with the leaders of the Southern Transitional Council in Hadramawt Governorate, condemning the persecutions and arbitrary measures they are subjected to,
and holding the local authority and security services fully responsible for any repercussions that may lead to security breakdown and popular anger.
10- The categorical rejection of tampering with the southern national symbols, foremost among them the flag of the South
and its political and historical identity, and the rejection of any attempts to obliterate the southern identity.
11- Demanding the removal of the northern forces called the Emergency Forces from Hadramawt Governorate,
due to their lack of popular support and the rejection by the people of Hadramawt of their practices and violations.
12- Demanding that urgent and tangible measures be taken to address the deteriorating service and living conditions, especially electricity, health, water
and salary payments, and refusing to be satisfied with media promises.
Respect for the free will of the people
13- Demanding that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lift the restrictions on the Southern Transitional Council delegation,
and allow it to return to the capital Aden to consult with the internal leadership,
and transfer any South-South dialogue to the capital Aden or to a neutral Arab country,
in a way that guarantees its independence and neutrality, and under regional, international and UN supervision,
and stressing that any dialogue imposed under restrictions and pressures lacks seriousness and credibility.
14- Appealing to the regional and international community, and the United Nations, to bear their legal and moral responsibilities towards the aspirations of the people of the South
and their just cause, to respect their free popular will, to reject any pre-packaged or imposed outcomes, and to affirm
the right of the people of the South to determine their own destiny and define their political future.
15- Condemning extremism and terrorism in all its forms, and denouncing the treacherous terrorist operation
that targeted the convoy of the southern commander Hamdi Shukri, commander of the Second Brigade of the Giants,
and affirming that these criminal acts will not undermine the will of the people of the South
or the cohesion of its national forces, and that the South will remain a factor of stability, not chaos.
