Aden, Yemen – In an escalating move that reshapes the political landscape in the south, the National Assembly, the Advisory Council, and the General Secretariat of the Southern Transitional Council, in an extraordinary emergency meeting held today, Saturday, January 10, 2026, announced their categorical and absolute rejection of what they described as the “farce of dissolving the Council” in Riyadh. The Council affirms that it is an entity born from suffering and popular mandate, and no one has the right to dissolve it.
The invalidity of the “Riyadh Declaration” and adherence to popular legitimacy
The joint statement issued by the highest legislative and executive authorities of the Council affirmed that the declaration attributed to the Riyadh delegation regarding the “dissolution of the Council” is absolutely null and void. This declaration has no legal or political effect. The statement clarified that the decision was issued by an unauthorized entity and resulted from circumstances of “coercion, pressure, and arbitrary detention.” It warned that such practices transform the “sponsor” into a direct party to the conflict.
Key points of the exceptional statement
Detention of leaders: The statement condemned the detention of more than 50 leaders in Riyadh and the confiscation of their phones and documents, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
Institutional Continuity: The statement affirmed the continued operation of all council bodies in the capital, Aden, and the governorates. The council considers the popular mandate granted to President Aidarus al-Zubaidi since May 2017 to be the sole source of legitimacy.
The council demanded that any future dialogue be moved to the capital, Aden, or to a neutral country. It also called for full international and UN supervision to guarantee the independence of the decision-making process and reject any imposed dictates.
Riyadh accused of deviation: The statement deemed Saudi Arabia’s position a “dangerous deviation.” This stance serves the agendas of traditional powers and their alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood to re-subjugate the South.
Messages for internal and external audiences: “The issue is non-negotiable.”
The council addressed a strongly worded message to the United Nations and the international community. The statement called for the rejection of the exclusionary approach targeting the legitimate representative of the South, warning that undermining the will of the southern people would have disastrous consequences for civil peace and the international peace process.
The statement also called on the people of South Yemen to participate massively in Saturday’s events (the million-person march), affirming their commitment to restoring a fully sovereign South Yemeni state and honoring the blood of the martyrs, which cannot be traded away behind closed doors.
This statement puts the ball in Riyadh’s court. It preempts any attempt to legitimize the new bodies formed in Saudi Arabia and officially declares a political “disengagement” from the imposed outcomes. This foreshadows a political, legal, and potentially even military confrontation, given the escalating security tensions in Aden.
